The Princess of the Volturi
by Lady Eleanora
Summary: *Angel of Life Rewrite* A/U, OOC at times with some OCs possibly. Set during New Moon. Rated T for now. Edward left Bella, with it resulting in a series of unfortunate events for the human girl. Depressed and heartbroken, she was about to end it all when a surprise saves her and throws her into a new world. What will Bella do, what will she choose for her new life?
1. Chapter 1

_**Summary**_ **:** _(New Moon, A/U and OOC I guess. Rated T, will have to see where the story goes and if this rating needs to be changed or not.) Edward leaves Bella after the catalyst that is her 18_ _th_ _birthday. It has to be the worst thing possible as Bella is thrown into an insufferable and abusive situation with her once-best friend. Bruised, beaten, isolated and depressed, Bella is ready to end it all when she is unintentionally saved by a royal guard infamous to the vampire world. She is ready to face the punishment of knowing a world she should not know, but in a series of twists Bella is taken into the Volturi under the seemingly love and care of its leader. Whatever they have in store for her, be it death or possibly becoming the most important person in existence, Bella has no time to be prepared for what is in store for her._

 **A/N: Finally, I've gotten around to do it. It's been itching at me to take a long and hard look at this little story I did ages ago. After I had re-read over what was up currently, I found that I** _ **really**_ **detest how Angel of Life was previously written.**

 **I've been taking lots of little breaks here and there – dealing with real life and all its ups and downs, as well as finding enjoyment in other hobbies and mainly sticking to writing up my rewrite of HSNE – I found some time to come up with this rewrite here. I have to say, moderately more pleased with this initial first chapter. And I hope to better plan and flesh out this story in the future.**

 **As this rewrite starts to go up, I'll be taking down the original AoL I had up and replacing that with this. Apologies if anyone ever wanted or wants to read or re-read over some of my works of ramblings. But I'd like to start fresh and with a clean slate.**

 **Let's begin then. I hope all who read this, enjoy it as now it is under a new name.**

 _ **Disclaimer: Self-explanatory but I do not own the rights to the Twilight franchise. I do not own the characters as that belongs to Meyers.**_

* * *

 **The Princess of the Volturi**

 **I**

 **-The Encounter-**

 **~Bella~**

My brown eyes found my reflection. I raised a gentle finger towards my eye, seeing the water well up on the spot while the sting reminded me that I was hurt. The black eye on my left was barely healing but my right decided to accompany it so I had a matching set. My finger then went down to the scar on my right cheek, wincing when I remembered how I got that. _The blade was so sharp and the "accident" was so quick. Thank god it didn't go too deep._ I thought to myself, gulping down the sob from the memory. I then continued downward and found myself gnawing gently on my bottom lip – swollen and split from last week's fight. There was another sting, sharper than the stinging in my eyes from those injuries.

There was only so much more hiding I could do from all this.

I never imagined that my life would turn out this way. I only had moved to Forks last summer, finding escape from my mother who was a newly-wedded wife to my step-dad Phil. I wasn't comfortable in being in the way of keeping her from spending time with Phil when he was constantly on the road with his baseball team. So I took the initiative. As much as Renee begged for me to stay, I knew she wanted to be by his side. It was definitely a change of pace though from moving away from the sunny state of Arizona, up north to Washington where I found a new home with my father Charlie Swan. And as much as he is my father, the both of us are awkward, socially inept and introverted. Our reunion was just a one-sided hug before we went back to the old small white house that was mine when I was nothing more than a little kid.

I was set to go to the local high school; I was supposed to be living a normal and uneventful life when I came here. Finish my high school career, go to college and find some mediocre job to earn money while earning my degree in some field, then after graduating I'd go into that career for the rest of my days – clean and cut-dry, nothing exciting. It's what any normal, human girl would expect.

That all changed when I met _them_ \- and more specifically _him._

The first day I arrived to the school was when I saw them, the Cullen siblings. All five of them were gorgeous, pale-skinned, and shared the common trait of topaz-golden eyes. The caddy Jessica gossiped to me that day that even though they were all adopted by their adoptive parents, they were dating each other. All except the lone third teenage male – the Adonis himself, Edward Cullen. They all dumbfounded me; where as much as I knew they were beautiful, fluid and quick, something about them was intriguing and mysterious. Even more so did my suspicions arise when the small encounters that I had with the elusive Edward – between noting his cryptic attitude towards me in biology, and the moment he had managed to stop Tyler's decrepit van from crushing me – that I knew I had to investigate them _somehow_.

This is where my old childhood friend would be of help. _Jacob Black._ I pushed the shiver back.

Being a Native American on the reservation, that day at the beach I had went down with my classmates I learned through the old native lore about the cold ones. It pointed me in the right direction that led me down the path to finding out that the cold ones were vampires. Even more surprising from Jacob's telling, is that he admitted that the Cullens were the exact same cold ones from the lore. I didn't believe him at first, thinking he was pulling a fast one. But the serious look and lack of tone implying he was just pulling my leg, was enough to convince me that he was telling the truth.

Now I was left with a decision – did I want to confront the only Cullen who I knew I could talk to about this information and demand answers? Or should I push it back and to the side, ignore everything that I had dug through for answers, ignore their existence and continue on with my normal human life?

The normal and safe reaction would've been the second.

But the first, irrational side took a chance and I was soon confronting Edward with my findings, demanding the truth.

If he was a vampire, there was the fear that I would die by his hands as he would want to keep the secret safe. A human that waltzes into his life, telling him that she found enough reason to believe that he and his family were vampires – surely that'd be enough to upset him, and he would kill me. Who would want a human meddling with their world? Granted, if he did know that I knew his secret, more likely I would've been dead already. There's been an ample amount of time for that to happen. The times I've been alone with him, he could've easily reached over and drank me dry, or snap my neck, or do anything to eliminate the nosy human that I was.

I didn't know what to expect from him when I confronted him; perhaps mostly denial, being accused of being a lunatic of believing it, or as I've said before the possibility that that would be my last moments on Earth before it would end there. Nip the problem in the bud.

But the twist: he admitted the truth after all of my persistence, and did nothing to harm me. He was mostly angry with himself for not being more careful, cursing fate that I had become so enamored with finding the truth about him, and did all he could to push me away. It was futile. I was drawn to him, feeling satisfied that I had my suspicions answered and that I was in the know now. Yes, Edward Cullen was a gorgeous vampire, intellectual, strong, fast, lethal and immortal. I had listened to all of his warnings, the information being absorbed and heavily weighing my shoulders down. The gravity of the situation was there, but it didn't matter. I could openly admit that I was attracted to him. What human wouldn't be? It was their lure for humans in their original design, drinking from humans and make the fight less messy.

Edward had then admitted that he wanted to stay away from me, that it's not natural to feel such attraction towards his designated prey. I knew in that moment he wouldn't hurt me or kill me; as previously said, he had ample opportunities prior to this confrontation, to do so. And without the stereotypical red eyes that vampires of lore had, I knew that he wasn't a normal vampire. (Which later I found out from him that he and his family drank from animals instead, calling themselves vegetarians and classifying it as the more humane way of sustaining themselves.) So when I had said I wasn't afraid, that he had nothing to be afraid of, our romance was sealed. _For now._

It shocked everyone when we started dating. My human friends couldn't believe clumsy, shy Bella had captured the attention of the strange Edward Cullen. Two of his "siblings" were more than elated to gain a new friend (and possibly a new family member) – an outsider that was mortal but in-the-know of the secret world. Emmett's and Alice's energy and elation brought me hope that I would be safe with these creatures. Jasper, the emotional reader and manipulator, struggled as he never had much control over himself with human blood before. But he stayed strong for his bouncy wife Alice, as much as she tried to reassure him through her own power – visions – that nothing bad would ever happen to me when I would be around. I did my best to take Rosalie's venom, in stride. She didn't trust me; an outsider to the circle, I was a liability to her family. Fragile that attracted danger, I tried to chalk it up to just protectiveness. Esme and Carlisle – the matriarch and patriarch to this band of teenage vampires – were pleasant and welcoming to me. Carlisle was the leader of this coven, and felt that Edward was the closest to a son he could call his own. The two trusted each other's judgments and often went to each other for devising plans the safe and logical way. Esme was such a mother, gentle and caring. She was just happy that Edward wasn't alone anymore, and thanked me for bringing smiles to her family.

The happiness didn't last long however.

Nomads came around to ruin any chances of that. I shivered again, one of my fingers subconsciously tracing the crescent scar that was ever-present on my pale wrist. I glanced down at it with this action, the memories of that night still fresh in my mind. Purpling bruises of hands and tightened fingers, framed the scar. Another sob threatened to escape.

I surely thought that I would die that night from James' game. The pain from the glass that pierced through my frail human flesh, the blood that was splattered everywhere while I was being tossed around like a ragdoll – it was all too much that I am surprised the Cullens had managed to make it in time. James was quick in getting one last, lasting wound that I'd be stuck with for the rest of my life. The bite was pure agony. Sheer torture, the fire began so quickly and was menacingly tearing through me; hot white fire licked my insides while I screamed out, begging for it to end. The Cullens around me were blurs through the haze, taking care of James while Carlisle and Alice tended to me. Soon, Edward took over. My sobbing angel, through the fire, did his best to save me from the transformation – buying me time to remain mortal.

 _What a great decision, in what that left me with…_

I nearly was killed by him in the end, as he almost couldn't help it with my blood that sang for him like a siren song. But he managed to reel in his burning desires and pulled back, having deemed me free of James' venom. When I later woke up, I was in Phoenix's hospital bandaged and wired up, my foot in a cast. Renee had flown out in a panic to see me, worried about her only daughter. And then Edward was there, looking distraught and ashen. He reminded me of his old warning, fearing that it was indeed too dangerous for me to be around his family, around him. His threat to leave me was enough to send me into overdrive, panicked tears streaming down my sickly face. After everything we had been through in that time, I dreaded more than anything the idea of losing him, being left alone, than actually dying.

And so, after James' attack, he and his family stayed. Our romance bloomed and felt secure, felt strong and locked down. It felt amazing to feel loved like I did when I was with him.

But, the catalyst soon arrived – my 18th birthday just one month ago.

I didn't blame them. I didn't blame Jasper. I blame myself. My human fragility, the fact I wasn't careful with that piece of wrapping paper – all of it was my fault. No one could've guessed his reaction. The bloodlust that sent him into a frenzied state, I would've nearly died that night no doubt. But Edward had pushed him off – the damage was already done even if I wasn't harmed by them. Edward saw just how dangerous it was for me again, to be around his world. I tried shaking the fear that something was changing, but when he and his siblings stopped showing up for school I knew that they had decided on something.

That day in the forest will forever haunt me.

His words still echo in my head.

The Cullens under his own guise, decided to leave Forks behind – namely, leave me behind. Edward had been too scared to remain here any longer after my birthday. He wanted me to see that it wasn't right all along to have me surrounded by vampires that could snap and kill the one thing that was most precious to him in an instant. My frailness of humanity was too much to consider, and so he was taking the other end of the spectrum to putting my safety above all else; even if that meant removing himself and his family entirely from the picture, then so be it. He claimed over time I'd move on, forget about them and continue out my mortal days happily when they were nothing but a distant foggy memory. _"It's for the best."_ A statement he supplied, it was more than agonizing than my heart could handle. He did all he could to push me away, even so much as going on to say he didn't love me. That stung the most.

I was lost in the forest for hours screaming and wailing, until Charlie and the town had found me that night.

I wanted to retreat and become catatonic. My heart had just been ripped out, shredded into a million micro-pieces, and then incinerated before my very eyes. My sanity was beginning to slip as the only thing I knew – the one person who made me feel safe and loved, happy and carefree – told me he didn't love me and that he would be sure to rid himself from my existence. I wanted to wake up from this nightmare, to find Edward Cullen beside me in my bed and to reassure me that indeed it was just a nightmare. Nothing from the truth of reality, I wanted it to end. But they were really gone. I couldn't do anything to get them back. I should've been thoroughly infuriated with them, _with him_ , for crushing my heart and abandoning me. I wanted to will this to happen. But I knew… I know more than ever, it wasn't possible. The damnable vampire had my heart under lock and key. It felt hollow to no longer have him beside me. I was nothing but a shell. I had to accept it, but I fought it for sure.

As much as I wanted to retreat, someone didn't let me.

Jacob Black emerged at this point to swoop in and bring comfort. _Or what he would like to call comfort_. He was always my childhood friend – the one with a boyish grin, boastful attitude in his knowledge of fixing up cars, and did all he could to make me smile and laugh. He had a place in my heart for a long time; he was my sun and my best friend. A brother more than anything, I remembered that when Edward and I were officially going out together Jacob did try to insert himself into my life as much as he could. Edward had told me he never approved of his thoughts, never comfortable with the idea of me being alone with him. I pushed his worries aside and did all I could to defend Jacob.

So when the Cullens had left me alone, Jacob took his chance to become the main focal point of my life. I wanted nothing more than to tell him to leave me alone. I wanted to wallow in my misery and loneliness; I wanted depression to overtake my mind. I wanted to die. Charlie could see that Jacob was only trying to do his best to cheer me up, and didn't let me stay in my room in my near-zombie state. He pushed me to let Jacob in, to let someone in, so that I could try my best to heal from my heartache. He hated seeing me sad.

 _Charlie doesn't realize just what he's done._

Jacob's way of comfort was the least be whole-hearted and welcoming. That first week, I would've thought maybe it would be alright. I thought that perhaps I should move on and try to reconnect with Jacob; who knows, maybe something was there for us and it had been there all along. But, I was quickly proven wrong. The tears on my face as I was left with the sharp memories of that night bubbled over. I did my best to keep my sobs down. He was the opposite of what I wanted – hot breath forcibly entering my mouth when he glued his lips to mine. I did all I could to push him off of me. It was too soon, too fast for me. I was still mourning the loss of the one I truly loved, I didn't want another relationship – _not yet_ a small part of me had whimpered. Jacob was too strong for me however; that summer he had somehow bulked up in size, and his overall body temperature was searing my skin. It was too much for me.

He had chuckled darkly to himself when he could feel my feeble attempts of trying to push him off of me. He let me go finally; before I could scream and threaten action, a searing hand slammed itself into my face. I was reeling, sent crashing to the dirt ground below. Tears were spilling already from my eyes while I held my cheek.

" _There are more disciplinary actions to come if you refuse my affections, Bella."_ He warned me, before yanking me back up to him by my arm, roughly I might add. It was that night that he established our "relationship" as boyfriend and girlfriend. He's always wanted it to be us, not me and the _bloodsucker_ that I had originally been with. He knew all along that I was dating Edward the vampire, and now that they were gone, I was all his to have and love. I had no form of protection from his abusive ways. I never wanted Jacob like this – I only ever saw him as a friend and a way of comfort to fill the void that was caused by the Cullens' leaving and absence. But he refused to let me go, saying I was his from the start and no one else can have me. The "disciplinary" role he took – that was nothing more than forceful affections (kisses, hugs, to straight-up unwelcomed fondling that I did all I could to push away), slaps and punches, and forms of verbal and mental abuse – was all he had to do to keep me with him and keep me in line. I immediately threatened him soon after that Charlie wouldn't stand for this and would keep me safe.

He merely laughed in my face.

" _So naïve. Charlie's been wanting us to get together ever since we were in diapers – he isn't about to give that up. Besides, he loves me and would believe me over you. You're a natural danger magnet and bruise so easily. He'll be too far in denial to consider it as an outside force. But, here's the kicker – if you even come close to telling Charlie what's really going on, I'll do all I can in my power to end his life. Everyone you knew that could protect you and keep you safe, will cease to exist."_

The emotional abuse he had already done to me, it was enough to keep me in fear of it actually happening. I believed his threat. I believed that Charlie wouldn't give up his dreams of his daughter dating his best friend's son. I believed that Charlie would deny that it was someone causing me harm; I get bruises from tripping over nothing. I believed that if I did say anything, Charlie would die because of me. I believed everything.

So I suffered, in silence. It has been going on for a month ever since _they_ had abandoned me. Everyday Jacob would add a new bruise to the collection, force himself and his "love" on me. Every day, I cried and sobbed when I was alone, doing my best to move past the pain from his hits and slaps, the emotional pain I still felt from the Cullens' leaving, and the despair that settled upon me. There was no way out of this nightmare that was now my reality. I never expected Jacob to become so abusive, so possessive and dark. He wasn't the Jacob I knew growing up – it was a husk of who he was. An unwelcomed stranger, that I had no way of leaving and being set free from. I was alone. Charlie couldn't know about this, Jacob would kill him. _He wouldn't even believe you_ , I reminded myself. The emotional onslaught I was dealt with, it was enough to twist and warp the truth. I wanted to believe that my dad would be there for me. But Jacob had done his job of isolating me, well. I never got to see my human friends anymore. I had to dress the way Jacob wanted me to dress. I had to be with him every day for some time. It was becoming harder and harder to hide my scars, bruises and cuts that he gave me. The part-time job I had to take, in order to get new baggy clothes and make-up to hide it all, was under his control as I had to work at a local food joint down on the reservation.

Charlie thought it was good that I took a job at least down at the beach to be closer to Jacob; all the while he was happy to see I was trying my best to keep up with school. But most of all, he was happy that I seemed to be "moving on from that Edmund boy".

 _If only he knew…_

A sudden knock on my bedroom door jolted me away from my thoughts. Amidst me having recall all that's happened to me within such a short amount of time, I forgot Charlie was still home.

"Yeah?" I called out, trying my best to hide the trembling in my voice. I was still keeping back the sobs as much as I could. I knew better that the tears were going to fall on their own volition, so there was no point in trying to stop crying.

I heard Charlie's grunt. "You've been in there for awhile Bells, you alright?"

"I'm fine, dad." I mustered up an answer, shuffling over to my dresser to get the make-up on my face, to hide the bruises.

Silence at first, met my ears.

"Well, if you say so. I'm going to be heading out for work today. Do try to take it easy today if you're still feeling sick like you told me last night. I won't push you to go to school." He rambled from the other side of the door while I began patting on the creamy concealer over my dark bruises, trying to push past the throbbing that it brought on.

"Y-Yeah, I'm still not feeling that well today… I think I'm just going to stay home." I shouted hoarsely, gulping down some air.

"Alright well… there should be enough food here for you so you can eat. I'll be back later tonight, so get some rest Bells. Love ya." I heard him say, before I heard his heavy clunky steps on the stairs, signaling that he was heading out for work. Once I heard the front door open and then promptly shut, I did my best to finish up the makeup on my face. It looked… presentable at least. The darkness of the bruising under my eyes was under caked-up layers of the peach-based concealer. I tried to cover the scar as much as I could, make it seem less angry-red. There was nothing I could do about the busted lip.

I had been planning this for awhile. I never took it upon myself to go this far. But with all of the cascading problems I've had in such a short span of time, it was becoming too much. I was too far gone down the hole that was depression. I've been kept isolated and separated from others, left to keep the truth of the situation under wraps. I had to avoid my human friends who did all they could to try and communicate with me. It was for their own safety that they don't get caught up with Jacob's aggressive ways. I had to lie and skirt around Charlie, doing all I can to hide my wounds and bruising. I never wanted to see him get hurt. The other tribe members on the reservation – the few that I have met through Jacob – noticed my bruises and cuts then would look at Jacob. But they couldn't get close to ask or do anything to help; Jacob would notice their prying eyes and growl them off before pulling me away.

And worst of all, the one sole group of people who had protected me before – they were gone.

I had no one.

Jacob knew it, and kept it that way.

So, it was an impulsive decision but I knew that there was no other way of escape. I bitingly thought to myself, _perhaps that psychic will see this. Not like I matter to them anymore._

I took one last look in the mirror, nodding in approval that it was enough to go out in public without being stopped and questioned. No one could get involved – I wasn't going to risk it. I slipped on my baggiest jacket, just adding another layer over top my long sleeved sweater and loose jeans. It only encased me in a mild shield of warmth for the cool October air, even though the clothes didn't fit me snugly anymore. I had since lost weight – both from the loss of the Cullens thus equaling in being unable to stomach much, and Jacob wanting me to stay thin as possible to his liking – but it didn't matter as Jacob didn't want me to wear tight-fitting clothes; _"I'm not going to have you parading yourself around like a whore in tight clothes. You're such a skank and a slut, wanting people to look at you like that."_ He had growled at me when I tried to argue I couldn't wear loose clothes that would barely stay up and on me to begin with.

I shook off that memory, before I hurried out of my small room.

I was in my truck and rushing down the road in my clunky truck. _At least the ass let me keep this_. I thought bitterly to myself, my jaw clenching with resolve while I drove to my destination. It surprised me still that he would let me keep this truck even though he probably knows good and well I could easily run. But where could I run to? The Cullens were gone, my friends couldn't get involved nor could my dad. My mother was out in Florida and I didn't have the money to drive all the way down there; she'd more likely turn me back around to come back here as I too – in the mental state that I was – believed she wouldn't believe my side of this story. I had nothing, I had no one. There was nowhere I could run to.

This was my only means of escape that I could reason with.

I pulled up to the corner store that had a pharmacy, cautiously getting out of the truck. I had fear that Jacob could appear at any moment and see I was out, see that I was doing something he _didn't approve of_. Today thankfully he didn't push me to come down today. I managed to convince him I wasn't well, that Charlie would be staying home with me and that I couldn't go to school or work. Jacob I know would've argued but his tribe friends held him back, saying they needed to do stuff today anyhow that I shouldn't be around for it. Of course, all of it was lies but I've gotten better with lying.

I quickly hurried inside, out from the rain and away from any other dangers. It was quiet and cool inside, generic and boring jazz music filling the store. A bored cashier was at the front, clicking away on her phone. I rushed to the back where the pharmacy was, heading straight for the sleeping pills. I had no idea if this would work, but it was my only shot.

I then made my way to the counter where the pharmacist greeted me though I could tell he was questioning mentally if I was old enough to be buying medicinal products. I pulled out my card and ID, showing it to him.

"So, having some trouble with sleeping?" the pharmacist tried to spark a conversation. I meekly nodded; it was partially the truth that I have been trouble sleeping. Since _they_ had left, my nights were spent with restless, minimal sleep. The nightmares I had were vivid and dark. Many had been of Edward walking away while I stumbled through the darkness to chase after him only to fall down a deep pit of death – before being woken up with harsh shaking from Charlie when he heard my wails and screams. It continued like that, before I had nightmares of Jacob's abuse. Him slapping and hurting me in my dreams, him taunting me that I was his and would always be his, that I'd never have anyone to save me – when paired with nightmares of Edward's retreating figure, sleep became nonexistent.

The pharmacist began to explain the instructions on how to take these safely and not to overdo it each night else I could risk my health and safety. I listened to it numbly, knowing that it wasn't going to change my ultimate decision. After paying, I hurried back out of the store, throwing the medicine on the passenger's seat before I drove off with my new destination in mind. I don't know what compelled me to do it there but I guess it was for the best that I do it away from my house – avoid Charlie finding me later. I don't know if I'd ever be found or when I would be. It may not be long as I know Charlie would have people combing through the woods first.

It didn't register in my head the time that had passed during that drive, but I managed to make it to the spot that I knew all too well before I had continue on foot. I grabbed my items after shutting off the truck, and began my way through the forest. I knew I wouldn't get there quick. I was no vampire after all, capable of running at the speed of light practically and making it to my desired destinations in under five minutes. I could only hope that I wouldn't take all day getting here however. There was still fear of Jacob coming to find me.

I stumbled over roots and rocks in the muddy earth, doing my best to make sure I didn't fall down. My heart was racing as the time was drawing closer and closer. I knew this is what I wanted to do – it felt like this was all I had left as a choice in order to escape my pain. It's definitely terrifying to think about while I still had time, but this was seemingly the better choice to take. _No more pain, no more berating and belittling. I'll be free from this life. I don't know if anyone would care once I'm gone._ I thought to myself, noticing that my tears were once again spilling over.

Finally, I managed to make it to my destination in one piece.

It was a stark contrast now than before. Spring, it was a beautiful safe haven for us. We could be ourselves here, feel utterly safe for what would seem like eternity. I could talk to _him_ freely here, ask him all about his past, his family's past, everything that there is about vampire lore. We could laugh, we could tease each other, play… kiss, huddle together, whisper sweet nothings to one another. It was our home. Even during summer it was still gorgeous with its flowers. The grass would still be a brilliant green, the trees alive and vibrant with their jade leaves. The scents could overwhelm us between the musk and dew, the scents of the wildflowers. It is… it was our heaven.

Fall sought to age it all. The grass was turning a dusty brown. The trees were turning their shades of oranges and reds, the flowers were dying off. The smells were slowly dying off while everything was becoming old and starting their dormancy in preparation for winter. It didn't feel safe anymore. It felt like the meadow was slowly dying.

 _And so it's a perfect place for me to end this._

I went to the middle of it all, looking around the space in remembrance. All memories were bittersweet – sour to the taste in realizing I would no longer have any happy memories of this place. No longer did it feel inviting and lovely. It would be a shallow wake of land. _They_ were gone. _He_ is gone. I knew they would never return. This place will never see happiness or vibrancy anymore. I would be the final piece to it all to show no longer would this place have life. It's a symbol of death now; the death of my romance and my will to live.

I sat down, taking the large bottle of pills out and staring down at it numbly. A part of me rationed that there's the chance that this wouldn't be enough. But it'd be a start if it wouldn't do the job. I had a large bottle of water in the bag too, and I knew I'd be doing my best to finish the whole thing quickly. I couldn't doddle for long. There was hesitancy in my beginning, but I decided that now was as good of a time as any. I started to take a small handful of pills at a time – more than the dosage ever asked for – when suddenly I heard it. I thought it was my insanity starting to kick in, but who knows what it could've really been.

" _Bella!"_

I lifted my head ever so slightly to look towards the cloudy sky. Tears were falling silently, but a small smile played on my lips. It wasn't out of bliss or relief; it was a rueful curl of my mouth.

 _His voice is still so strong in my mind._ I thought to myself. _"Don't do anything dangerous."_ His last words to me replayed itself in my head. It was a little too late for that.

"I'd never peg you to be a suicidal person, Bella." But another voice piped up, one that I didn't want to hear. I shrugged slowly.

"You know not talking to me is going to get you only into trouble, right?"

"Leave, Jacob. I've decided there's only one route for me to take by this point." I snapped at him, getting ready to take another dosage of pills when I heard him behind me. He yanked me to my feet roughly, the bottle dropping and spilling out pills onto the ground. My water bottle followed suit. I stared him down blankly while his brown eyes were fiery with rage.

"Like I'd let you kill yourself. You can't get away from me that easily." He snarled, a sinister smirk threatening to appear on his face.

"What's the point of keeping me alive then? I've been nothing but your rag doll for this past month. You've thrown me around, punched me, kicked me, busted my lip and given me multiple wounds. You've isolated me from my friends, my father and my mother. I feel nothing more than actual garbage about my appearance. I've never been so depressed before in my life, cornered and left with _nothing_ to live for. You certainly are the worst piece of a shit of a human being to exist on this planet – I'd rather die than be with you. And I'd gladly make my death painful as possible for myself because at least it'd be nothing compared to the nightmare that I've gone through. So really, what's your motive here Black? You'd eventually kill me anyhow, that's what domestic abuse always amounts to – let me just save you the damn trouble." I growled back, glaring at him darkly.

He balked.

"Exactly, so why don't you just fuck off?"

"You've really done it now Bella." He hissed, throwing me back down to the ground with his body shaking violently. I caught myself and scrambled to get my pills and drink, backing away from him quickly. His shaking only grew worse, him holding his head with taut fingers. I could only watch him, frozen on the spot and unsure of where I could run to. I didn't know what was going on but it soon happened within a flash.

Jacob exploded and morphed rapidly. He let out a loud howl of rage, his clothes ripping and tearing. His limbs quickly became angular and elongated, russet fur growing quickly from within his skin. He was snarling and shaking his head this way and that.

Soon, Jacob became a large massive wolf. His brown eyes stared me down coldly, a low rumbled emanating from his chest.

 _Lovely, there are werewolves all of a sudden in this universe? What's next since we've already got vampires – fucking fairies and unicorns?_ I thought to myself sarcastically in a brief moment of panic. We continued to stare down each other. My heart was racing wildly by this point, but I didn't dare to let an ounce of fear make it known on my face. Jacob couldn't know that. He'd take it as a sign of weakness and no doubt would lunge in for the kill.

"Felix, Demetri. Take care of this if you would be so kind."

I almost didn't hear the order but suddenly, Jacob was gone from his spot in front of me. I blinked, shaking my head slightly and looked around, wondering where he went. It didn't take long for me to find him but when I did my heart stopped briefly. He was being slammed against a set of trees, howling and growling madly from his two attackers. Two males from what I could tell, one bulky and muscled to the brim, the other lanky and quick. They were blurs while they played a game of toss-the-wolf-boy-around. When I heard a high-pitched throat being cleared, I turned back and felt ice run down my spine.

Five more vampires stood before me. I could only call them as such because of their alabaster skin, and ruby red eyes that stared back at me.

There were three females, and two males. The first female I noticed was incredibly breathtaking. I could help the pang of mild sadness that occurred; seeing her beauty reminded me of a certain blond ice queen of the Cullens. Her mahogany hair cascaded around her face, framing her heart-shaped face perfectly. She was dressed in a tastefully risqué manner. The second female I noticed was regarding me with a chilling smile. She was child-like in size – petite and small yet looked just as elegant as the first female. Her hair was very light brown in color – bordering towards a very dirty blond in some form. Everything about her face screamed that she was nothing more than a child when she was brought into the vampire world with her pouty small mouth, her button nose and wide doe-eyes. The third and final woman was glued to the back of one of the men. She was close to my height I could say, with long black hair flowing down her back. Her bloody eyes flitted about the area, flighty in their movement as if she was looking to see if any new and oncoming dangers would be approaching.

I then moved onto the males before me. One of them stood close to the child-like vampire, regarding me with just as much of a cold glance. His burgundy hair was curly and short. He too looked young in age before he was brought into the world of vampirism – no more than age 12 of thirteen. He held his hands behind his back, standing tense before me. The final male I noticed radiated age and a demand for respect. He had to be the oldest of the bunch, his skin looked papery and frail even though I knew better that his skin was just as diamond tough as any other vampire's skin. A small playful smile was on his face while he stared me down, his eyes boring into my soul it seemed. He had long jet black hair that framed his weathered, ancient face.

"Master, I want to play with the mutt. Please let me join Felix and Demetri." The little girl vampire spoke up suddenly, her eyes twitching to the ongoing toss-around behind us.

"Patience my dear, you'll be able to have your turn." The ancient male chastised her gently, a laugh escaping while the girl pouted minutely. The male beside her, smirked.

"Master…" the woman behind the ancient one hissed in a frightful tone but was quickly shushed.

"Renata there is nothing to fear here. The pup is being taken care of as we speak, all that we must take care of now is the mortal before us." He gently chided her and my heart stopped.

"Oh sire, please she would make a great play-thing for us." The bodacious vampire of the group begged in a trilling voice, pleading with the ancient vampire.

 _This was it._

"That is true though, this human girl has seen too much." The young male spoke up then, eyeing me with a glare. I gulped and bowed my head.

"It wouldn't be the first time…" I murmured quietly, and heard a quick gasp.

"Oh?"

I nodded quickly, gulping down my air.

"Speak child!" the young male hissed, growling slightly at me. I jumped and the ancient vampire makes a clicking noise.

"Now now, Alec, no need to get so testy with this girl. I have no doubts that she will tell us." He remarked, smiling at me though I couldn't tell if it was a truthfully genuine smile that could be called friendly, or not. I nodded my head once more before I did my best to explain.

"I'm a bit of a nosey human. Not too long ago there was a coven here that I managed to make friends with. I found out about their secret after they rescued me several times from certain death. However, they've… they have since left town. Where they went, I don't know. But they left me here to try and let me have a life of normalcy and humanity as one of them felt they were the cause of attracting so much danger to me…" I muttered as a start, whilst I heard hisses of disapproval.

"Insolent vampires, exposing themselves to a human is outlandish. Traitorous and foolish, they should receive punishment!" I heard the one behind the ancient one – believe she was Renata – hiss in disgust.

"All in dear time, my sweet guards. Do not fret, they will be receiving their share of punishment. Now tell me girl, who was this coven? We must know their names." The ancient one begged.

"They… The Cullen family." I muttered next, and heard a sharp gasp from him.

"Cullen you say?" I glanced up to see his face held a shocked expression. I nodded my head quickly.

"Master? Are you unwell?" Alec, the young vampire, asked him in worry while the leader of this band of vampires stared down at the ground. His shock was slowly becoming one of anger and disappointment.

"I would never expect Carlisle to do such a thing. You see, mortal girl, the leader of that coven is an old friend. I've known Carlisle for years. At one point, Carlisle had stayed with my own little family, observing on the side. But he wasn't pleased with our lifestyle; at that time he was already drinking from animals and had no interest into returning to his roots that is a vampire. I welcomed him into our home, merely because I could understand and appreciate his needs of curiosity and neutrality. Such a shame he didn't stay, but here I was thinking I could trust him to keep the secret." The ancient one rambled, sighing heavily near the end.

"If you must kill me, I'll welcome it…" I whispered hoarsely, my eyes turning downcast. It really would be welcomed by this point. I was already down in such a deep, depressive hole as is from the fact the Cullens had left me behind and didn't care about me anymore. It was even worse for me at this point since I was trapped with Jacob and his abuse. I couldn't deny the fact that I was actually jumping for joy that two of his guards were throwing him around behind me still, having their sadistic fun. I had nothing left in me to care about him. There was no love, no attachment. It had since left me the minute that he forced himself on me and became an abusive jerk.

The vampires before me made noises of surprise at my admission.

"What an oddity, I've never heard a human welcome death so well…" One of them mused out loud.

"Indeed. Begging for their lives or bargaining is the normal reaction – but this one has no fight left within her…" Another remarked with a humming noise.

"I see bruises and cuts on her. The mutt's stench is pungent from her." One noted.

"Was this mutt abusing you, little mortal?" I glanced up upon hearing this, seeing that the bodacious vampire had asked this. I nodded my head; I didn't bother stopping the tear that had fell from my eye.

"It's been a living hell with him for a month. Ever since the Cullen family had left me, he stepped in with his brand of "comfort". I've been isolated from my friends and family, and left with physical, emotional and mental scars from him. He's threatened to harm my father or anyone else close to me, if I were to ever oust his true nature of what's going on. I don't see any other means of escape, but death. So I came here today to try and end my suffering – he somehow knew and showed up before I could go through with my plans though I thought that once he had turned into what he is now, he'd just end it there for me. If you all hadn't shown up, I wouldn't have gone out on my own terms… I understand the fact that with me knowing the hidden world of vampires, there's the punishment if I were to be found out. So if I must die as punishment, then so be it if it means I can escape that piece of scum behind me." I admitted to them truthfully, now lifting a hand to wipe away the tears that were silently spilling over.

The ancient vampire, as well as the most beautiful one, made quiet noises of sympathy towards me. The vampire behind the ancient one, Renata, softened her hardened face of alert, to that of something resembling pity. And the two twin vampires, Alec and the small female, had their facial expressions falter to something that looked to be of sympathy as well.

"Little one, your suffering will be no more as of today. Master, shall we end this mutt for what he is? No one else should ever bare pain from his hands again if we do. I have pity for this little human." The little girl cooed; it was slightly off-putting to suddenly hear those words. For one, I didn't exactly get caring feelings from the little vampire. She seemed so cold and venomous, even as she talked with such a high-pitched voice. I didn't think she'd sound like she cared for me and what I've been through, so suddenly. And for another, hearing them plan out Jacob's death so casually in front of me as slightly off-putting. Albeit, it did sound relieving as soon I wouldn't ever have to deal with Jacob again.

"A most excellent idea, my little Jane. I feel that yes such a punishment for this rotten mutt is in order!" The ancient vampire cheered, clapping his hands excitedly. His clap caused me to jump.

"Felix, Demetri – bring the dog here so we may end this!" the ancient vampire shouted for the two vampires that were still tossing around Jacob the wolf like he was a rag doll.

I heard snarls and growls, along with sharp hisses of hushed voices, burst out from behind me. A loud thud occurred and I slowly turned around, backing away from the heap that was Jacob on the ground. He looked disheveled, fur mussed. I could even see and smell the light rusty smell of blood, guessing he gained some cuts while being thrown around. I then glanced at the two vampires the ancient one called Felix and Demetri. One was a hulking vampire, large in size and muscle. He had dark hair that was slightly curly but didn't look out of place despite him having his fun with Jacob. His face held harsh and sharp features, but when he glanced over at me with ruby red eyes, a boyish smirk appeared on his face when he caught me taking in his features. I blushed and quickly turned my attention to the other male vampire. He was smaller in height and size in comparison to the bulky vampire he helped in roughing up the wolf in front of me. He was lanky and lithe. I mentally grimaced; the build of this one reminded me much of a certain bronze-haired vampire that had left me. He had dark brown hair that almost looked black, with sharp features that made up his face to which he had a sinister looking smirk on his face while he watched Jacob's writing body on the floor. He enjoyed watching Jacob the wolf squirm in pain.

"Did you enjoy your fun, boys?" the bodacious vampire spoke up and I glanced over at her to see she held an equally dark smirk on her face.

"It was indeed fun, I hadn't been able to mess with something so large in such a long time." The hulking vampire mused in a deep voice, throwing in a chuckle at the end. The wolf at our feet growled up him, but a loud yelping noise escaped when the lanky vampire stepped onto one of his paws and a sickening crunch could be heard in the next second.

"It appears he still has some fight left within him." Alec remarked next.

"It's surprising to say the least. Felix and I are sure we've broken nearly every bone in his body." The lanky one chimed in then, his voice smooth and deep as well. _So he must be Demetri._ I thought to myself, making mental note that at least I was able to pinpoint almost all of their names now.

"Master, please may I have my fun now?" the child-like vampire begged next, looking up at the ancient vampire once more with pleading red eyes. I looked over as Aro let out a laugh.

"I've held you back long enough, dear Jane. Proceed with your fun, my dear." The vampire mused, staring down wickedly at the wolf who was breathing heavily on the floor. I then peered over at the little vampire – Jane – who smirked and then began to stare intently at Jacob. _She must have a power. I guess I'll find out what that power is._ I thought to myself, and turned to watch the wolf before us, standing around with these vampires waiting for something to happen.

It didn't take long.

All of a sudden, the wolf on the floor began to squirm violently and convulse disgustingly so. His eyes were shut tightly and he let out feral snarls and growls that soon developed into sharp howls and yelps of pain. I stared on in mild horror, now realizing that this power Jane had, had to be mental. All this little girl was doing was just staring at him with a twisted smile, her eyes focused solely on his writhing form. No one was making a solitary sound while the wolf before us squirmed, his cries possibly for help going unheard. Each vampire looked on with hungry eyes and smiles at his pain. I stood there amongst this spectacle, feeling…

What was I feeling?

I certainly didn't feel worried that was for sure. After the long month of hell I've faced with him dealing the pain and abuse, I've since come to accept the old Jacob I knew growing up was dead. I didn't see my best friend that I grew up making mud pies with, roughing it in the dirt and sand on the beaches of the reservation. I didn't see any charm in his eyes, no warmth in smile, nothing amicable or pleasing. He was no longer a warm, loving being. No, this was a Jacob I didn't want. He was cold, callous, cruel and harsh. He was possessive, abusive, controlling and dark. He was… he is the embodiment of evil. I hated him, I feared him. I was scared of him, feared for my life and my family and friends' lives. I was pushed around, beaten, and forced into something I never wanted with him. I held no love for this thing before me. No compassion, no worries for his safety, nothing that could resemble care – all I held for this creature was cold resentment and pure hatred.

So if I wasn't worried for his well-being in this moment while he was being tortured, then still what was I feeling?

Peace?

Joy?

Was it a mixture of both or nothing at all?

"Now…" I was shaken from my small musings when the ancient vampire spoke up suddenly. I looked over and saw Jane had looked away finally from her intense stare-down over the wolf. Once the mental torture was over, the wolf stopped his erratic movements and left to pant heavily, trying to recover. Jane, Felix, Demetri, Alec, Renata and the breathtaking female vampire whose name I've still yet to receive, all looked to the ancient vampire upon hearing him speak up.

"Since this mutt's initial punishment is out of the way, I believe all that is left is finishing the job. Don't you all agree?" he asked his voice airy and holding light amusement. The vampires all hissed in delight and in agreement and stared down the wolf hungrily.

"What… What are you going to do to him?" I mumbled in a whisper, feeling my face heat up slightly when a few of them looked at me.

"I don't wish to stop you, but…"

"Master should this mortal see our execution of this mongrel? A mere human has such a fragile mind, I can't begin to think that seeing this would scar her beyond repair." The breathtaking vampire cried in worry; it was still so strange to hear something that resembled worry from these killer vampires. I didn't believe they could be merciful like they were behaving right now. For as long as I've been exposed to this mythical world of vampires, I was always led to believe that vampires who stuck to their true design – killing and drinking from humans – were not able to hold any compassion for humans. I felt that way since encountering the nomads that I had encountered not too long ago. And even when these vampires arrived here to unintentionally save me, it felt they wanted to play with their food before dealing punishments onto me for knowing of their world when they seek to keep it a secret.

"Your worries are well placed, dear Heidi. Perhaps we should ask this mortal her views on this matter…" he muttered the last part to himself, and I blinked.

"I…"

"It must be a lot to take in, the idea of seeing death before your very own eyes." Demetri chimed in minutely, chuckling. I glanced over at him, noting how he looked up at me briefly as if expecting me to answer. I gulped and nodded in reply.

"Do you wish to see the mongrel suffer for his crimes of abuse, little mortal?" I jumped slightly when I heard the small one, Jane, chime in. I was a little scared of whatever her power was – seeing as it appeared to be mental and that it was excruciating in how much Jacob had wiggled and cried out from it – and I looked over to see her staring at me with those doe like eyes. She didn't hold a menacing look on her face when looking at me. No, it was one of pity and something resembling warmth.

This was all so foreign to me.

"I do." I muttered in the next second, not wanting to waste time on giving them an answer. It was true too; no hesitation in the fact I did want to see Jacob pay for all of the pain he's caused me.

I heard a growl from the floor again, and I clenched my fists. I dared to not look at him.

"Then a punishment he shall receive. Make it happen, Felix and Demetri." The ancient vampire spoke with finality in his tone, nodding his head decisively next. I looked back to see Demetri and Felix raising the wolf from the floor, holding him in a constrictive vice grip to ensure he was not able to run off or break free. The wolf began to snarl ferociously and did his best to try and weasel his way out of their grips. I watched on with dark curiosity, surprised I wasn't looking away from what will be the execution of a friend that turned ruthless and evil. Jacob continued to yelp and thrash with all his might in their arms, but it was useless. He was no match for these vampires and their strengths.

"Will you drink his blood?" I blurted out, a sudden sinking in my stomach happening as soon as I asked that out loud. No, it still wasn't in worry for this monster. Rather, it was out of anxiety in smelling the blood that I knew still made me sick to my stomach.

Demetri and Felix were unfazed by my question while the others behind me merely chuckled to themselves.

"Wolves' blood is repulsive to us vampires, little mortal. It's like drinking molten leads, and is rather poisonous." I heard the beautiful vampire, Heidi, say behind me. I nodded briefly and continued to watch.

It was short and quick.

The two male vampires that were holding him down seemed to think together that his weak will of trying to fight his imminent fate had gone on long enough. They looked over to one another and nodded to each other silently. Demetri went to hold most of the body down while Felix wrapped his massive arms around the thick neck of Jacob. I could feel my heart pumping wildly, as I looked on. Felix was growling curses at Jacob in what sounded like another language I did not understand. Jacob's twitching grew even more violent if that could've been even remotely possible. His life was now hanging onto a thin thread. He was trying to snap his teeth at the massive vampire, but it was useless. He was stuck in a vice group that he had little to no movement allowed.

With great blinding speed, Felix snapped Jacob's neck. It was painfully quick, and the sharp crack of bones was the only sound heard. Jacob's wolf eyes bugged out, with the light of life in them leaving soon after. His wolf body slumped in their grasp, and they let go of him. Jacob's now dead body crashed to the dirt ground in a heap, unmoving. I stared on, trying to process everything that had just occurred. I had witnessed a death, a murder – an execution as they had put it. My heart was beating wildly since it was almost too much for me to see all of this. It should've been repulsive and I should've looked away; it would've been the normal reaction to have. But as I've said before, this monster caused enough pain for me for a month now. I held no emotions for him but hate and resentment.

To see that he was finally dead… it was a relief to say the least.

I gulped down some air, realizing I had stopped breathing once the act was happening. I could feel some of their stares on me whilst they heard me noisily breathe like a dying fish.

"Are you well, little mortal?" Felix's booming voice piped up to break the silence. I looked up at him to see he was regarding me passively, and I briefly nodded.

"It's a lot to take in, but… I'm grateful now I won't have to suffer with him around." I murmured, nodding my head to try and mentally accept that fact. _He was gone… he really is finally gone._

"What shall happen now to this mortal?" Renata finally spoke up after another moment of silence passed. I stilled once more, glancing over at the group behind me where the ancient vampire had looked over at me then. He was looking over at me with observant red eyes, mulling over something hard. I did my best to keep still, trying not to fidget under the scrutinizing eyes of all of these vampires that were looking at me. My heart only sped up once more, while I was trying my best to possibly prepare for the inevitable punishment I was sure to face next. I was an outsider on the inside, I knew too much of their world. I had broken that rule when coming into contact with the Cullen family. _He_ broke their sacred rule by telling me their secret, exposing me to this mythical world. They did all they could to ensure my faith of secrecy – when they cared about me and I, them. I feel a small part of me still does, however slight and minimal it may be. I felt betrayal and hurt in their leaving no matter way.

They abandoned me and I suffered through a nightmare because I was left by myself, to defend myself fruitlessly against the monster that was Jacob.

I held resentment towards the vampire family. But did I worry that they now would too suffer the consequences while I was the one that meddled with their lives to find out who and what they were to satisfy my out curious urges?

"Those that have exposed our world to this human should face punishment." Alec said acidly, and the other vampires hissed in agreement.

"Little one, I don't believe we've received your name before. Please do tell us your name, and I would enjoy knowing just _how_ you found out about us through the Olympic Coven. I must know every detail of what has happened before I can make a clear decision of what shall be done." The ancient one spoke up then, silencing the others and causing me to look up in mild surprise at this. He then strode over to me in such a slow yet elegant manner, Renata still glued to his back. The other vampires watched on, tensed all of a sudden. A small part of me almost wanted to burst out loud with a harsh laugh because the sight was laughable in the absurdity of it. I was nothing but a mere human, surrounded by vampires all who were extremely strong and powerful. Surely they couldn't think I would hurt one of them, especially this ancient one as he seemed to be their leader (they've been referring him as "Master" all this time).

The ancient one then stopped once he was close beside me. "Forgive me as I've been rude this entire time. I've yet to mention my name. I am Aro, leader of my coven and guard, the Volturi. You see as I am sure you may have guessed now, we are fairly important. Normally it's not… common, I should say, that I make these personal visits outside of my domain. My guards, particularly these few you see here, do any visits that may need to be done, whether it's taking care of any uprisings or unruly little vampires that are disturbing the balance that we try oh-so hard to maintain. We like to keep ourselves in the shadows, to keep your mortals unaware of what is going on. However, I'd like to say that this certain visit was pressing and I felt the urge to make a personal visit to attend to matters at hand. But, we can certainly talk of that later." He stopped briefly in his explanation to remove a glove that was covering his hands.

Aro then extended his free hand to me. I stared at it briefly.

"It may seem like such a strange request little mortal, but all I ask is that you give me your hand and that will be all I need to receive the answers I so desire. Would you be so kind, little one?" the ancient vampire asked with mirth, his bloody eyes staring down at me with curiosity and mirth. I glanced around noticing the other vampires were watching us with careful attention.

 _Perhaps he's a mind reader too or something? I mean, it seems like such an innocent request._ I thought to myself, breathing in softly when coming to my decision. I raised my own hand shakily and placed it in his, watching his reaction as he grasped me gently and then began to stare off in concentration.

We stood there in silence, my heart beating wildly the more time that passed on. _What was he doing?_ I pondered, gnawing on my bottom lip in worry.

Then, in the next minute, Aro's eyes came back into focus and he stared down at me wide-eyed. Did he actually manage to read my thoughts somehow? If that was his power, he had better luck than _he_ ever did. _He_ could never read my thoughts; it was one of the things that I thought that made me more appealing to _him_ and felt like it was enough of an enigma that made _him_ want to stay. Albeit, it's a childish and silly thought now as I think about it.

"Astonishing… you are silent to me." Aro murmured, and let a loud laugh burst out through the silence.

"Master?" Jane questioned next, staring up at him in confusion.

"This human is unaffected by my power, ever so silent and quiet. Her mind is vacant to me, I cannot hear a single thought." He mused, smiling widely down at me in amazement. I felt my face heat up.

"Please dear mortal, do tell all then as I can't hear it for myself. Do not spare any details to me." Aro begged. I gulped down some air then, and slowly nodded before I began.

"My name is Isabella Swan, but I'm used to everyone calling me Bella. Um… I moved here to live with my father and when I started going to the high school, I met the Cullen teens of the family there. Everyone in the school regarded them as weird yet immensely beautiful and elusive, and I couldn't help but be nosey when I noticed how they were all so extremely pale with amber eyes. It was unnatural and brought out the curiosity in me. It became more apparent that they weren't normal when I encountered the lone male of the group of five that I had seen at school that day. Four were paired off as I was told by one of my human friends who let me in on the gossip – while the fifth one was known to be a loner and not interested in other girls. When I had encountered him with such close proximity in my next class, his visceral reaction was puzzling. I couldn't believe that someone could be so repulsed just by my simple presence like he was." I began, looking down at the ground while I could stop the memories that began to assault me.

"They disappeared for a few days after that first day – all days that were sunny too. When they had returned, the lone one finally began talking to me which was startling for me. His bipolar tendencies of how he acted around me were something I couldn't wrap my head around. But I moved past it and continued to question just who he and his family were – human or something else. It wasn't until he saved me one icy day that I knew he couldn't be human; I would've nearly been crushed by a van that was sliding towards me, if he hadn't suddenly appeared my by side and stopped the crash. The obvious hand shaped dent he left was evidence that he had more strength than any human should have." I heard a quick hiss somewhere from behind Aro, but continued on.

"I poked and prodded him to try and get some answers because I was sick of being left in the dark. He was adamant in not talking about the truth of what had happened, and pressed me to leave it alone. I couldn't and well… I slowly began to do more research on the possibility of what he could be. The wolf," I again paused, briefly glancing down at the corpse that was still laying there. "I used his tribe's legends and myths as means of a starting point. He was the one to admit to me that the coven was one in the same from their stories. It was enough that after a couple days of looking further, I knew I had my answer of what the boy was, what his family was. I confronted him one last time and he finally gave in, admitting the truth as he knew he couldn't hide it from me anymore."

"What is his name?" Felix's booming voice cut in then, and I jumped from his demands. Aro raised a hand in simple warning to Felix, hushing him.

"You are eager to find the one responsible but please, let us hear all there needs to be said from Isabella." Aro chided and then waved to me to continue.

"After he admitted the truth to me, I felt relieved to know that someone… someone as beautiful and striking as him, wasn't human." I licked my lips in a moment of pause, noting how my heart and stomach both sank at the memories of him appeared. It still hurts to think of him.

"You're in love with this vampire." Jane cooed, though nothing in her face told me she was still happy as again, _he_ broke their rule and in their eyes the coven were still criminals that needed to be dealt with.

I blushed but nodded my head in answer her statement.

"An utterly dangerous situation that a human could put themselves into. It's a miracle the boy didn't kill you outright." Alec regarded out loud.

"I was half-expecting him to eat me…" I mumbled, looking away in embarrassment as they all had heard me and gave out little chuckles at it.

"Please do continue though, I feel there is more to this story." Aro pressed, looking down at me after he had gotten his chuckles out.

"He did all he could to try and push me away after I had found out. He wanted to protect me from this world, urged me that he was dangerous and I could be dead in the blink of an eye; I wouldn't even notice if he had tried. But I held no fear for his true nature. I knew he wouldn't harm me – he had ample opportunities to do so in the short time we've known each other. If he really wanted to kill me, he would've done so before he came out with the truth. Whether he held the same feelings that I had for him or not, he relented and let me into his world. I gained all the knowledge I yearned to know from him. He told me all about how he came to be – which since you told me you know who Carlisle is, then I'll just skip over that detail. I was fascinated with their world the more I spent time with him, and he did everything in his power to keep my safety in check." I slowly lifted the arm that held in the infamous scar, for this next part of the explanation.

"I almost was one of you." I started again, showing the crescent bump that sat on my wrist. Aro stared down at in slight awe, letting a finger rise up to trace the scar that was still cold on my skin. "A group of nomads came one day when I was spending time with him and his family, and one refused to let up on his hunt for me. It was a wild goose chase that ultimately failed and he still entrapped me – all part of his game. He nearly killed me with how much I was tossed around. And the nomad's bite nearly killed me as I knew he wanted to drink from me when the vampire that promised to protect me from anything, had been tossed aside for only a moment. The nomad's venom began to burn me when they ripped the ravenous creature off of me. Carlisle and the members of his family that had came to my rescue tried to save me, but none of his normal medical methods were working when they found out I had been bitten. So, Carlisle merely gave a choice to the vampire that I had been enthralled with; either he was to let the venom continue its course and I join the immortal world, or he would suck the venom out to save my mortality."

"His rescue attempt nearly killed me too, but he managed to rip himself away from me in time… whether it is something I should be thankful for, or resent him for it, that I don't know what the right answer is." I grumbled the last bit a bit begrudgingly.

"It would seem Carlisle and his coven had quite the taking to you little Isabella. Ever so fascinating, I'd never believe that he and his vampires would be so compelled…" Aro trailed off, smiling wistfully.

"If this boy loved you so much, then where is he? I recall you saying they had left this area, thus leaving you vulnerable to the torture this mongrel had inflicted onto you." Heidi cut in then, glaring distastefully down at the body when it was mentioned.

"Well…" I began to stumble over my words then. Aro looked down at me with sympathetic eyes, as if somehow silently understanding.

"Something disastrous occurred, I assume?" he then asked, and I gulped in some air.

"My birthday… I was completely careless in opening a present that gave me a nasty cut. It was bad enough to draw blood – and one of their members was still relatively new to their lifestyle of drinking blood. He still held some newborn bloodlust… and he couldn't help his reaction to my cut. I was saved by the vampire who loved me, but in turn of his saving I was thrown across the room and crashed into glass vases that ultimately caused more cuts and bleeding to occur. Their natural reaction to the smell of my blood, and how much had appeared from the impulsive save, was enough to scare my once vampire lover…" I balked on the statement _lover_. But I pressed on.

"So… he ultimately made the decision to have him and his coven leave the area. It was just days after my birthday. To say I was devastated and heartbroken is an understatement, but there was nothing I could do or say to change his mind. I was catatonic shortly after, refusing to eat and felt like there was no reason for me to continue living – but… Jacob here sought me out to give me his own brand of "comfort" … and well that's really it up to this point." I stuttered out the end of my tale. I may of glossed over every single detail but really they only needed a synopsis of just how involved I was with their world. Each one took in my brief story of knowing the truth, and nodded.

"I still question this boy's name of the Olympic Coven. He is the first and main one to tell you this secret. He should have known better to reveal our world to you." Felix brought up his earlier demand of a name, glancing over at me expectantly. I nodded my head.

"Edward." The name was gut-wrenching to admit out loud. My heart ceased briefly, and my eyes began to prick with tears.

Aro noticed and suddenly pulled me into a gentle hug. I heard a hiss of surprise (possibly from Renata) while I at first was stiff in shock. _Again, everything right now seems so… off, with this current situation I'm in._ I thought briefly.

But, the hug felt so… it felt so warm and caring. I haven't been hugged with such love and gentleness in a long time. Jacob never hugged me with actual affection, and my dad was too awkward in expressing his feelings that he rarely hugged me fully. When he had found me that night after I had been abandoned, his hug was one that I couldn't return despite me sobbing a baby and seeking comfort. His hug that night still held the awkward Charlie charm that I had inherited.

Aro's embrace was something that I've been craving and needing for a month. And that's when my sobs suddenly bubbled past my lips and I returned the hug as tightly and as carefully as I could; from how much Renata was glued to Aro's back, I could tell she wasn't comfortable with her master having such close physical contact with someone. I didn't know if she had a power or anything, but I could only assume she was important to Aro's safety. She grunted out a noise in discomfort when I returned Aro's hug. I could also hear small noises of surprise from the other vampires around us.

Aro whispered and cooed to me while I cried, comforting me. He spoke in a different language, gently talking to me and smoothing my hair.

"This is very confusing…" I heard Demetri's muttering about the suddenness of this.

"Dear Isabella, fret no more please." Aro began to speak then after we pulled away from one another. He raised aged and papery fingers to my cheeks, wiping away the tears that stained my face. I sniffled and gazed up at him, feeling like a little child who had tripped and fell before running to her parents seeking aid and comfort as I would blubber out my wails of pain. He looked down at me with such affection and kindness; it caused me to gain a tiny smile in appreciation.

"I thank you for telling me all that you know of our world, and all that I need to know. I feel now is the time for action, and I know what must be done. I did come here to settle business personally myself – and to be perfectly truthful, this business involved you." I gaped openly at him, causing him to pause momentarily. His guard also was surprised at this admission.

"What? Master, why did you not tell us this?" Heidi questioned in disbelief, gazing at him wide-eyed. Jane growled at her minutely and she balked, bowing to apologize.

"My apologies dear guard but I had to keep this a secret. I already knew of this little mortal before us, merely from Trinity. There is something that is of great importance that has befallen us, but it is fairly messy to start the telling of what is really occurring within our world. Such admissions that Isabella has given to us, that I did not know. But, our time here now should be spent wisely so I am now ordering a new course of action. Alec, Jane, Demetri and Felix – I am giving you the task to track down Carlisle, Edward and the rest of his coven. They are still to be dealt with but I want them to personally come to our domain. Please ensure that all of the Olympic Coven are accounted for and escorted personally to Volterra. Heidi and Renata my sweets, you two will be accompanying me and Isabella as we are all heading back to Italy together." He ordered to the group.

"May I make a request?" I squeaked and I felt several eyes whipping their burning gazes over to me.

"Name it and I shall do my best to grant it, little Isabella." Aro relented gently.

"May I please at least leave a note for my dad? I wouldn't tell him the truth of where I am going but, I'd like to ask leave him something so he doesn't worry." I murmured, biting my bottom lip.

It felt… well it felt weird truthfully in the fact here I am with a group of human-blood drinking vampires that should've already killed me. Their bloodlust had to be out of control right now in the fact that I'm an animated blood bag, begging to be taken and drank from. It's dark humor, of course, but it was nothing but the truth. Everything within my natural instincts that is my human nature was screaming at me that this was dangerous. I shouldn't be here right now, alive and breathing. But looking at my track record, I look danger in the face and laugh at it. I run towards danger. _A danger magnet_ , as… as _Edward_ would've put it. It was just all the more reason that I wasn't a normal human.

But, by this point, I had spent a decent amount of time with these vampires. Once again, if they really wanted to kill me they wouldn't have hesitated or waited so long. Or really, after I had done my best to explain everything of how I've come to known this world that's been laid at my mortal feet, they would've done the deed so to speak. But they didn't.

I felt I was going to be part of some bigger scheme that I didn't know where it would lead. Whether it would lead to my death or not, I don't know.

I've been so alone for this past month. I've been isolated, beaten and abused, taken advantage of against my will, forced into situations I didn't want. I've been kept from my friends, my parents. I've hit my lowest point in my existence with no one and nothing to keep me grounds, protected and safe. I had nothing.

The minute Aro hugged me I could feel my heart jump briefly. Not with fear, but with hope and love. It felt like I was being cared for finally, after so long of my personal hell.

I was taking the comfort where I could get it, even if my future was still in the dark of where I'd exactly end up.

"Of course little Isabella, I think we'll have time in our schedule to let you do that." Aro's agreement to my request broke me from my thoughts. I looked up at him and nodded my head in thanks.

The four guard members that he had ordered to carry out their task, gathered together and bowed before Aro and I, where Heidi stood behind me and Renata still remained attached to her master's back.

"We shall begin tracking down the coven for you Master. Once we find them and make them aware of their fault, we will bring them Volterra as quickly as possible." Demetri promised, and Aro nodded his head to the four. Then they turned on their heels in the opposite direction and in the blink of an eye they disappeared. I glanced back up at Aro who smiled at me.

"I arrived here in my truck so I hope it is fine if I separate from you all." I murmured quietly and Heidi chuckled at my embarrassment.

"It is quite alright, dear little one. I believe we can all run and follow you back to your home. Master, shall little Isabella leave everything behind? I am certain you want to leave as little room for any chances of a firestorm occurring within today's media of news." Heidi purred to Aro while I broke briefly from our small pack and began heading back in the direction of my truck. I remember I didn't take anything but the pills and the water, with my keys still in the pocket of my jeans. I also realized we were leaving behind the body that was Jacob. I didn't know at first if they were going to do anything to dispose of him. But I guess they had probably decided to leave him there – to let him rot. I wasn't sure if other people would find that spot and see the body, but it didn't matter anymore.

 _He is gone. I am finally safe from him._

Aro made a noise behind me as they followed me with ease. I entered the thicket of the trees on the path back to my truck and that is when Aro finally spoke up.

"I will leave the decision ultimately up to little Isabella on that matter. If she has anything of importance that she wants to bring, that is her choice. However she would like to carry out her plans of goodbye to her father, I will do all I can to fill the needs she may need back in Volterra – clothes, food, toiletries and the like." He rattled off behind me. The mention of "saying goodbye" to my father, made this decision strike me with finality of the choice that I was making.

I knew I would break at the sadness of the thought of possibly never seeing my dad again. It made my heart wrench and tighten really. I never was able to be openly affectionate to Charlie before – we were both too socially awkward that expressing our emotions matched our nature to stumble over words and share weird small hugs. That was about as affectionate as we could get and let the other one we still loved them. I loved him dearly nonetheless. I kept the secrecy of the abuse I was suffering by Jacob's hand, to myself in order to protect him. I didn't know if Jacob's threat held any weight, but I cared for my human father's safety with my own life. Besides, the isolation and mental abuse I had been dealt, kept me from going to him for protection. But, the thought of him still finding whatever note I was about to come up with, and being devastated by its details – the mental image of the scene did make me tear up a bit.

But I had suffered through enough pain for far too long. As I said before I was seeking comfort wherever I could get it from – even if that comfort was come a coven of human-blood drinking vampires. They ultimately needed me for something but whatever that would lead to in the end, I did not know. I was going to be a selfish creature even if this would result in my death.

A wry smile came upon my face then. I still ruefully wondered if the psychic could see my decisions in this moment as I was deciding to go on a death wish with Aro and his coven. I wondered if _he_ was watching these visions… I shook my head at the end. It didn't matter. I would be facing them again as Aro was gathering them up to come to this Volterra of theirs – their home turf.

I will let the chips fall into place and see where this will take me.

Aro and Heidi chatted with one another about plans they had for their coven behind me. I silently continued walking to my truck with them shadowing me. I was slightly calm in the fact Aro wasn't pressing me to talk to them. I enjoyed their amicable and mindless chatter behind me; it still brought me comfort that I wasn't alone here anymore.

Finally, we made it back to my truck. I opened the rusty door and looked back to the vampires who stopped beside me.

"We will be following behind you to your house little one." Aro reminded me and I nodded my head, taking a few deep breaths before I entered the cab of my truck. I started my truck and left the forest, knowing I had powerful creatures running through the trees alongside the road beside me.

I was ready for whatever lied ahead of me.

* * *

 **A/N: There you have it, the first rewritten chapter of the old Angel of Life, now under a new name. I particularly disliked the title, so hopefully this new title is a bit more interesting or something along those lines.**

 **Any feedback is always appreciated. I appreciate it even if this ever gets read.**

 **Till the next chapter,**

 **~Lady Eleanora**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: So I noticed at least one slight continuity error in the opening chapter of this little story. It was really Bella mentioning that Aro had laughed or done something** _ **before**_ **she had been properly introduced to him. Cue my cringe as I had only spotted it after publishing. But I guess for it being really one small mistake, I can still say I'm still proud of how it turned out in the end.**

 **Always on the road to improvements still, I also noticed that my descriptions here and there I'd often repeat them (such as overusing Ragdoll I believe). But it's a process haha.**

 **Anyways, onto the next chapter – let's see how this goes.**

* * *

 **The Princess of the Volturi**

 **II**

 **-The Coven-**

 **~Edward~**

I slowly emerged from the edge of trees that lined the outer rim of the yard. With one small intake of an unnecessary breath, I gazed up towards the Victorian mansion that sat before me. It was smaller than my family's own back in that forsaken out-of-the-way town we once occupied. Esme took pride in her designs of our homes over the course of our time alive. She wasn't one to skimp out on luxury and space.

Snow was beginning to fall here, which isn't a shock considering Alaska is more northern bound towards the poles. I could see cars parked up the driveway of the home, many that I knew like the back of my hand. I held slight regret not taking my prized Volvo with me, but granted there was no use for it. My feet carried me greater distances than the vehicle could ever manage.

I hesitated, not wanting to approach. I didn't know if I was ready, to put it bluntly. I felt empty, felt desolate as if really nothing in this world mattered anymore. In truth, nothing did.

I am a monster for what I have done. I was a monster that hurt the one person that was everything to me, to my very existence. She was so sweet, innocent, fragile, endearing, and stubborn. While she was impulsive with her actions that would otherwise leave her open to danger and death, they'd work out in the end. Her reckless decision to isolate herself with that abhorrent nomad left him vulnerable enough for my brothers to kill him off. His bloodlust to slay her didn't give him time to brace for any outside attacks, nor did it leave any room for him to try and make an escape. She was enough of a distraction, even if it nearly ended in her turning.

My heart wrenched at the memory from that night, and I shuddered.

Ah… _Bella._

 _Edward, I know you're standing around out there._ A pixie's thoughts chimed internally at me. I huffed.

 _I know you'd rather be alone, but you have no idea how happy we all are to see you drop by like you are._ Alice mused weakly; I knew my absence from the family had hurt them somewhat. But I felt that they understood the why.

 _Of course we understand why you have been gone for a month. It has been hurting us too that we did what we did. But I know it's been the worst for you… Please stay with us if you can. If you leave, I'll know right away._ Her begging had me heaving a heavy gust of air.

A small part of me didn't want to isolate myself from the family. But I couldn't stand being around everyone for long after my awful deed. They have their significant others, I couldn't stand to be around their environment when the one I truly desire is not beside me. I can hear them, hear their thoughts… it was too much for me.

 _We know you're heartbroken Edward. We want to be here for you; we can't do that when you disappeared to the Amazon the minute you came back that day._ I cringed and hissed lowly. I hoped she would take that a sign that I'd rather not be reminded of that day. I already bore the weight of it on my chest each passing second. I had to deal with it, but any outside reminders from the others would ease the resounding guilt I already had.

She heard. _Sorry, didn't mean to upset you… just give it some thought please?_ She asked internally.

"Alright." I uttered, but I knew she had heard.

Eventually, I began trudging my way towards the front door to the mansion. This was enough to stir the others.

"Moody vampire is on his way up to the house finally." I growled minutely at Emmett's light teasing.

"Emmett, don't be rude to him." Esme chastised him inside.

"Oh, is Edward here?" I heard one of our "relatives" inquired.

"He is." Carlisle replied to them in a short manner.

They then began chattering to one another as amicably as possible, mostly talking about going hunting later – a means of a bonding experience. I approached the door and waited rather than deciding to knock. They knew I was here, so surely someone would come up soon to let me in.

I didn't have to wait for long.

The door swung open, and there stood Alice. She looked mostly the same as she had before. Same spiky inky hair and the same sense of fashion as always, she gazed up at me with dark eyes. They were marred with heavy shadows underneath. Once she had opened the door, Alice stood there waiting holding her hands together. I knew she wanted to give me a hug, but wasn't going to push it if I wasn't ready or wanted it. Eventually I sighed.

"It's been awhile anyways. Go for it you pixie." I muttered and she smirked, her eyes suddenly gaining some light and life to them. It didn't take her long before I was ensnared into an otherwise bone crushing hug from the small creature that was my adoptive sister. It really is a good thing I'm immortal and my skin's granite strength wouldn't be crushed underneath the weight.

"I've missed you." Alice murmured, and I eventually returned the hug to her.

"I know… I've missed you too, and everyone else." I let out in a short breath, sighing.

"So he does have a heart for us!" The heartwarming reunion Alice and I were sharing was cut short when the behemoth that was Emmett bursts the bubble with his shout. Alice pulled away then, and I looked around her to see the others were in the foyer with us now, standing around as patiently as possible. Of course Emmett's "patience" boiled down to him bouncing around on his feet like a two year old waiting for his treat. Once Alice had stepped aside and ushered me inside, I was passed around by my family members in varying degrees of hugs.

I whacked Emmett upside the head when I had got to him. "Ow! Is that any way to greet me after not seeing me for a month?" he whined and a heavy pout came about.

"Shut up you idiot." I grumbled at him, still unhappy with his remark. He continued to pout even as Rosalie tried consoling him, while I went over to Carlisle, Esme and Jasper. Jasper immediately sidestepped, avoiding all eye contact with me.

 _So sorry Edward… I know you're still upset with me for what happened… I'll never be able to forgive myself._ His thoughts flew at me in the next second, grief evident in the tone. I nodded slightly in his direction, letting him know I had heard him. Perhaps it was for the better that I didn't hug him; a small, irrational part of me was still angry with him for the disaster that occurred more than a month ago. If he had better control over himself, it wouldn't have happened and I wouldn't be feeling this empty right now. Alice glared minutely at me, as if she knew what had been said silently between Jasper and I. I ignored her while I moved onto Carlisle and Esme.

Esme gave me a tight hug, murmuring words of welcoming and comfort. Her thoughts echoed what she was whispering out loud, as I knew she took it rather harshly that I just upped and left the family like I had for the time I was away. She never liked it whenever I was alone, from the very beginning of her joining this family to the point we are all at now. I nodded to her letting her know I heard her words in both forms, feeling small bits of warmth from her affections. Once she let go of me, Carlisle stepped forward to clap me on the shoulders.

"It's good to see you again my son." I briefly smirked at his greeting, noting that even with blackened eyes much like the rest of the family, there was a bit of a sparkle in them. A glimmer of joy, it was still nice to see again after having been away.

"It's good to see you all again too." I muttered, and he and I shared a small hug. Once we were finished, I turned and noticed the other "family members" of ours was standing in the doorway of the living room in their Alaskan mansion. When I say "family members", I mean it in light terms. Obviously they weren't our relatives by blood but we like to feel our bond is familial and close considering they learned of the "vegan" diet from Carlisle and take after it. They were the Denali Coven, having resided here long before us with their previous coven leader who was killed many years ago for a traitorous crime – something that Carlisle only mentioned under those terms but never fully going into detail. I'd try to get snippets of what the crime could've been by reading him, but he was also sure to block me and begged that I wouldn't pry out of respect. So I never pushed it beyond that point and left it alone.

The Denali Coven consisted of 5 members – four females and one male. But before us only stood two of the three sisters, and then the fourth female and her mate. The coven was mainly led by one of the sisters, a woman named Tanya. She was beautiful as any vampire, but never a woman that held a candle to the real _woman_ that I truly still loved. She stood there quietly not speaking verbally. She knew of my powers, and whilst she had no clue what happened before the others arrived here, mentally she recalls hearing of snippets from the others. I see a memory play out in her mind to the day my family arrived here a month ago.

 _Tanya opened the door upon having smelled my family when they were close in proximity of the home. Through her mind, she counted everyone before her, noting that I was missing. She didn't miss the forlorn expressions that marred everyone's face._

" _Cullen family, what a pleasant surprise to see you here." Tanya's smooth voice echoed in her flashback. She held a weak smile, but didn't understand why everyone looked so somber._

 _Carlisle greeted her and after she had let everyone inside, she stopped my father figure at the door. "Carlisle I must ask. Why is everyone looking so down? Normally before when you all have come by it's a pleasant visit and everyone seems to be in good spirit. Tell me what is ailing you all." She pleaded with him, confused and feeling helpless as to why they were all looking despaired and desolate._

 _Carlisle sighed in her memories._

" _It has been trying times for us all, Tanya. It's a rather long story, none of which is really my place to share unless Edward would have been here. To keep it as short and brief as I can to respect my son's privacy, we had to leave behind a close friend of ours do to troubling circumstances that occurred. It's been exceedingly hard on Edward as much as it has been hard for us to separate from them, and he's since taken leave of joining us here in Alaska. I apologize that it's rather sudden of us to impede on your home. We'll most likely only be here for a brief amount of time until we can find a new place to reside. I hope it won't be a burden." Carlisle had explained in her memory, looking up at her with a weak gaze. He seemed drained of what had occurred back in Forks, and how it had driven me away from staying with the family._

 _Tanya, through her mind and the memory, wanted to press for more details. She was worried in how the family was broken by whoever had to be left behind. Even more so, she was saddened that I did not come along with the family. She was a woman who cared more for her personal desires and her wantonness of men. But, Tanya held respect for Carlisle above all else, and decided to not press for more information out of him._

" _Your family is always welcomed here, Carlisle. You all are welcomed to stay here as long as you need to." She settled for that answer, giving him a warm smile. Her memory faded out to the present after that…_

I refocused on the current setting, looking away from her penetrating gaze. Now that I've returned to my family, I knew she would be pressing us for more details on what had happened. Among other things, I just knew I was about to be introduced to a world of discomfort.

Moving on from her, I spotted the other sister that was here. Kate. She was just as equally stunning as any female vampire. Nothing that held my fancies of course, but undeniably Kate held the beauty that every female vampire gained upon transformation. She had blond hair – it was more of a standard blond versus Tanya's differing strawberry blond hair. She was also the nicest of the three sisters; she wasn't always looking to seek companionship with a male like Tanya and the third sister, Irina. Kate was the most tolerable of the three, and I feel like I could get along with her, share a decent conversation with her. She just usually was always hesitant to stay comfortable with chatting, as her ability was troublesome. She would claim she has grasp and control over it but at times I've found her to slip and it's there even when in amicable situations that she should otherwise be relaxed in.

The third female here was Carmen – olive skin, caramel hair and with a soft demeanor, she greeted me silently with a kind smile. She and Esme were much alike in personality and behaviors. Even if Tanya and her sisters were much older than her, Carmen held a motherly air to her presence. Beside her was the lone male of the coven – Eleazar. He was her hulking husband that stayed aloof and ready to spring when needed. He had slicked back dark hair, a tight expression and shared an olive skin tone with his mate and wife. He regarded me with a nod, his tight expression only loosening slightly.

"I'm sorry Irina isn't here to greet you. She's run off for the time being with a vampire… you perhaps know him as he spoke of your coven briefly." Kate spoke up first when my family finished greeting me with hugs. I peeked into her mind; an image of a dark-skin nomad whose previous bloody eyes, now beginning to turn a deep orange, graced my thoughts. I growled briefly.

"Laurent." I muttered, tightness building up within my chest.

"Well that bastard did say he would look into trying out our lifestyle…" Emmett grumbled; that night and all of its memories came to my head and I snarled at my brother.

"Do not remind me of anything to do with that!" I hissed, glowering darkly over at him. My family balked under the severity of my tone, with Rosalie wagering an equal scowl my way for attacking her husband.

"Sorry… you just know it's still sensitive for me." I grumbled, turning my gaze to the marble floors of the foyer.

"Perhaps you could clue us in on this mystery finally?" Tanya then proceeded to speak up. _The Cullens all have been here for a month and been silent on whatever occurred between them. I left it alone because I didn't want to pry but with you here now Edward, I'd like to know what's been bogging you all down._ She spoke to me through her thoughts.

I hissed again.

"Edward, I know it's touchy. They've been kind in letting us stay here. You know they won't judge." Esme had a feeling as to what Tanya was insinuating on her questioning.

"We will listen with full neutrality and open mindedness." Kate offered as support.

I just stood there in silence. I could feel all of their eyes on me.

"Fine." I uttered finally, and breezed past them to stand in the back of their living room by their large windows that looked out over the forest landscape surrounding their home. They all filed into the living room then, taking their seats.

They didn't speak. They were waiting.

Carlisle cleared his throat.

"I guess I can start. This is still not my place to tell – it is Edward's. But he will speak when he is comfortable and willing to do so." He began, and I glanced over at them on the couches. He shifted as I knew he felt me staring at him. He looked over at me quickly, asking in his mind if I was ready. I heaved a sigh and decided I'd take over.

"No, I'll talk." I muttered, rendering the beginning of his speech now useless. I felt their eyes on me but I decided to focus on looking outside.

"We were at the high school playing our role as human teenagers once more like we have had been doing so for years. I didn't think it'd be an exciting school year as it never was before. But, I was wrong. Fate had other plans for me – it took the shape of a human girl…" I began, breaking suddenly. _She_ flooded my thoughts. Those sweet brown eyes, her milky white flesh, soft smile and lustrous brown locks, all of it came rushing back to my mind. Her maddening scent of sweet strawberries and delicate freesia, a hint of lavender assaulted my nose in memory. The peeling laughter when I first took her for a run, her small huffs of frustration at me when she didn't get her way or when I'd chuckle at her small trips; she was like a kitten trying to imitate a tiger. Every sweet memory of _her_ proceeded to attack my thoughts and my senses. I released a crushing shutter of a broken sob, and I raised my fist to hit the back window with what little restraint I had; it thankfully wasn't enough to break it but it did crack.

I could feel Esme's disapproving glower at me, but mainly their reaction to what I had done was a sudden jump. Jasper though he was trying to keep himself far away from me to not draw my ire, did his best to blanket me with waves of calm and resolve. My guilt of what had happened, was reaching him ten times over and it was overbearing for him.

A harsh gasp soon came from the Denali coven.

"A _human girl?_ " Eleazar was the first to speak; it was a slight growl.

"Oh dear…" Carmen was next to speak, a tone of concern evident. Tanya and Kate, with burning questions swirling in their mind, decided to remain silent.

"Yes, a human." Carlisle answered after a moment of silence passed when I didn't immediately continue. I gulped unnecessary air, and pressed on.

"I know, blasphemous. But… She was a human like no other. It was maddening that first day when I met her. I hadn't fed before that. Her blood called to me – it was stronger than any other humans' blood that I've come across in my lifetime. It was a delectable scent, and I was overcome with so many emotions. Bloodlust, curiosity, contempt and yet… lust and desire was there for differing reasons." I continued, rambling to try my best in explaining that first day when I was with her in that small classroom. "It took all what control I had built up for a century, to keep from taking her. I had felt I had such strong resolve with humans even when I hadn't fed in such a long time – and yet this mere human girl was causing it to crumble so easily before me. The curiosity that I held for her comes from the fact I can't read her mind. I've always been able to read any creature that has a conscious thought – and yet with her I was drawing a blank." I paused to smile ruefully.

"After that first day, I took myself away from that town. I felt disgusted with myself in how I nearly acted like a savage to her. It took a week of time before I had regained some control over myself to return. By this point, I had a plan set in mind to basically tell her I was dangerous and that it wasn't safe for to be anywhere near me. I knew that even if I couldn't read her mind and know exactly what was going inside her thoughts, she had questions for me. She was freaked out from our initial first meeting, and the expression in her face when I came back ready 'I demand answers from you as to why you treated me like filth the first day we met.' I tried my best though to stay away from her… but it's like she was a magnet that attracted danger and misfortune everywhere she went. Alice continued to have visions of her in danger – either her nearly getting attacked by a group of drunken bastards, or her simply slipping on ice and hurting herself." I recalled everything bad that seemed to come at _her_ , frowning.

"I made the mistake though of possibly exposing who I was when I saved her from being crushed by a van." I paused when the Denali's hissed – a mixture between shock and disappointment. Rosalie echoed her disappointment in the matter, never having been happy with how _she_ began to see through my façade as a human teen and began to question just what I was really. I growled right back at her, defensive.

"It's not like I could stand to watch her get crushed… Try as I did to keep myself from her, fearing that my presence is what brought her danger, I _couldn't_ stay away fully. I had my desires, but overall I had the strongest desire to protect her. When I had rescued her, it left an imprint of my hand against the metal. She was observant as ever. No human boy could ever make it across a school parking lot as quickly as I had, to reach her, yank her down and be strong enough to stop a careening van skidding on ice with just my hand. She had heard the crushing of metal, and saw me use my vampire strength to push the car around as if it had been a mere toy. I did all I could to lie to her about it and try to get her to not see it for what it really was but the girl is a stubborn creature." I paused again, the regretful smile once again reappearing.

"Everyone was disappointed in me for not being more careful from that episode, but they could tell I was becoming attached to her. As the days grew on, she wouldn't leave me and continue to try and pry answers out from me. Thankfully, she didn't tell anyone else that she had seen the freak of a teen boy save her by speeding over to her in the blink of an eye and stop the van with a simple push to one's eye. As much as I had feared thinking she'd tell everyone, she was silent and only cared about getting answers. I didn't want her to find out the truth but she deserved it at least having almost died. And she wouldn't let up on it. But I never outright told her – she managed to piece together bits and pieces of information from what she's observed of me, and had the help of a shape-shifter wolf that is local to the area." I scowled slightly in the memories of that dog. Lord knows I would do anything in my power to still put that mutt in his place, I knew what his thoughts were of _her_. It sickened me then, and still sickens me now.

"Shape-shifter?" I heard Kate ask.

"There was a tribe that had been there for a long time. When we first came to the area in the past, they were hell-bent on killing us. We were the cold ones encroaching on their territory where they set out to protect the humans and their own kind – werewolves is what they'd like to call themselves but in my years of all the creatures I've ever encountered they aren't werewolves. They are closer in relation to shape-shifters as they can change and morph into a wolf at will." Carlisle quickly prattled off. He was right; as much as those pups would like to believe they were as strong or were werewolves, they're far from that lineage. The Denali coven made noises of understanding to his explanation.

"Anyways, she found out mostly on her own and wanted confirmation. I gave her an answer which she surprisingly took it well. I had anticipated screaming and her running off in absolute terror but she surprised me in saying she wasn't scared and that she wouldn't tell a single soul about our true nature. I was astounded by her, and from then she and I got to really know one another. She listened with rapt attention when I told her as much as I willing to discuss, everything about our world and our kind. We grew closer to one another – I fell in love with her." I continued, pausing when I heard several gasps from the coven; all but one reaction was different. The strawberry blond let a deep rumble off from within her chest. Her thoughts were a tangled mess of jealousy and upset. Tanya always held a certain fancy for me; I wasn't easily swayed to her charms that a mere mortal male would die for. I was one that she couldn't ever snag. I never gave her the time of day – again she holds no candle to _her_.

I rolled my eyes, ignoring that envious growl that came from her.

"You fell in love with a mortal. I've never heard of such a thing." Eleazar grumbled, his thoughts ringing with a disapproving tone. He was disappointed I believe more towards Carlisle for not stepping in and stopping the romance. I growled lowly again.

"Edward please…" Jasper groaned, unhappy with how angry I was getting.

"So much for a neutral and open-minded approach." I snapped out at the disapproving Denalis who didn't think the romance was safe.

"It's just hard for us to grasp Edward." Kate tried to defend her family members whose thoughts were unhappy with this bit of news.

"Hard is a bit of an understatement. That human was Edward's singer, she should've been dead by this point had he acted like a normal vampire." Eleazar bellowed out as an argument; my growling grew.

"How dare you even say such a thing to me!" I roared, whipping my furious gaze at him. "That _human_ was more than just a piece of meat and blood running around for me, you fucker! She… She is _everything_ to me!" I hissed in continuation, but another broken sob broke through from me. My family looked on in sympathy, knowing my sorrow and pain over the mess that occurred was still a freshly opened wound. The Denali coven heard that second sob, and from their thoughts they ceased their disapproval and apologized. Well for the most part they all did – Tanya was the exception and just huffed.

"Singer? What did you mean by that?" Alice asked out of the blue, looking over at Eleazar.

He cleared his throat in an unnecessary manner and sat up just a bit. "A singer to vampires is essentially when the being's blood is stronger in its potency to the vampire. A newborn or even just a normal vampire that's well beyond the crazed bloodlust years may be attracted to any type of blood. But a singer's blood is thrice as potent to a vampire's senses. It may drive them to brinks of insanity until they can satisfy their urges towards that blood. At least, that is the theory on the subject of singers. The… The Volturi has been looking into that matter for several centuries; mostly it's in between studies with feeding that they wonder if a singer would ever actually increase ones strength after drinking from it." Eleazar did his best to explain; the field of topic was still a grey area for vampires to know what a singer truly meant to the vampire world. This was all the knowledge he could offer.

My family nodded to this knowledge, never having looked at it from that perspective of what _her_ blood really meant to me. The group waited until I had calmed down; it was obvious I hadn't calmed down from the early remarks. It took awhile longer until I accepted Jasper's attempts of trying to calm me further.

"So, this girl… I hate to pry especially since it seems that whatever tragic event took place is still causing great upset. But, what was the girl's name?" I heard Carmen speak up finally, her mind curious as to see what female actually managed to capture my dead lonely heart. She was really a secondary mother figure to us as a whole, truly happy that there was someone out there for me.

"Her name is… Bella. Isabella Swan." I whispered.

"So this Bella still lives, does she not?" Kate questioned then as gently as possible. I nodded my head weakly.

"She nearly became one of us. There was a night where it was storming in Forks, and the family wanted to go out and play some baseball. It had been ages since we really had a chance to play a game. Sh – _Bella_ ," I gulped again when I uttered her name. "She tagged along with us to see our game. It was such a silly thing for her to want to witness it but she wanted to spend more time with us. I wasn't going to deny her anything she wanted and I had the reassurance from Alice that nothing would come up nor would we have to worry about such a thing. It was until sometime in the middle of the game that Alice received a vision far too late – and then the nomads were on the field approaching us. We did our best to try and mask her obvious scent, but they saw through our ploy. One of them, a vampire named James, caught her scent and was maddened by bloodlust. I read through his thoughts that he enjoyed _playing_ with his food – the humans – and make it a game to chase them. He was into his theatrics." I began again with the explanation.

"There were two other members – one of them being his mate, a fiery red-head named Victoria. And the other, is Laurent. Laurent didn't want there to be any arguments or fights seeing as it was his group of three versus our coven of five. He could see we'd outnumber them and more likely overtake them. So he did his best in trying to get them to leave peacefully but James was already set on his plan. So as a family we decided that we would have to run Bella out from the state as quickly as possible, and as far from the group as we could manage. Laurent had arrived at our home in our state of panic to warn us how dangerous James really was, and how sneaky he could be. That's when he said that he'd be running up north to you all to look into our lifestyle." I muttered after bringing up the subject of that night, shaking my head slightly as if thinking that would dispel the memories of that night.

"I was left to separate from _her_ which agonized me and pained me greatly. Jasper and Alice were the ones to take her to her original home in Phoenix, Arizona. They stayed there with her while the rest of us tried both chase off Victoria and track down James to try and stop him. Eventually we lost the two of them and by that point the separation was eating at me. So we switched plans to where I would go to Arizona and get Bella, and we would hide away somewhere together while the family would take care of the problem for us. I thought everything was fine… but it wasn't until that when we were on our plane heading to Phoenix that I learned from Alice that she had lost sight of Bella. She hadn't seen anything or was able to keep track of her mentally through her visions to see that the girl had wandered off. I later learned that she had received a sneaky phone call from James himself and lured her away from my siblings, to go to an old ballet studio under the guise that she was to rescue her mother whom she thought was captured by the crazed fiend."

"We barely made it in time to save her – he was close to killing her from all of the messing that he did with her. He threw her around, breaking bones and giving her bruises and cuts. I stepped in after having made a mad rush for the studio, and made sure to rip him away from the dying human. She received a severe cut to her leg, a shard of glass having lodged itself into a major artery. And on top of that, he bit her on her wrist as he was attempting to feed from her in the middle of me fighting him. My siblings took care of James after I had ripped him away from her. But I was left with two options by that point – Alice couldn't see her future at that moment, and it terrified me… Carlisle left it up to me that either I left the transformation happen or I was to try and suck the venom from her system and save her." I sighed at that moment, having recalled that night once again in my mind. I wanted it to go away – it was still too much having seen her lying on the glass ridden floor in such a broken state.

"You have a stronger will than you think, my son." Carlisle admonished gently. He voiced within his thoughts, how proud he was of me for that night to having the strength that I did when I sucked out the venom from her. I glanced over at him, letting a corner of my mouth turn up just a bit in a weak attempt of a smile.

"I take it then that you chose to suck the venom out? If she had become a vampire, surely she would've been with you and your family." Tanya muttered offhandedly; I growled in a brief second from how cool her tone was. The other Denali members glared at her in warning, and she sighed, apologizing under her breath.

"I did though, yes. It was… tough to say the least with her being my singer as you put it." I continued, directing the last bit at Eleazar. "After that had happened, we moved from the studio to a hospital so that her wounds could be treated. She was unconscious for a bit but awoke to me and her mother being in the studio. Her mother was in a state of high panic after having received a call from her father about her sudden departure, to only then later hear about how she was now in the hospital bruised and broken. After that mess though, Bella and I stayed together as a couple. Things had balanced out in our lives, and we focused on one another rather than any other woes that may be troubling us. That is… everything was perfect until her 18th birthday that happened a month ago…" I trailed off, clasping my eyes shut. It still hurt too much.

Alice picked up on now I wanted to quit talking about this matter. She stood and walked over to me, leaving her husband on the couch. She hugged me from the side, her thoughts expressing her understanding.

"A disaster happened I take it." Kate surmised after seeing our interaction. Jasper fidgeted from his seat, not bothering now to try and calm me down from my sorrow. He still placed the blame on himself for what happened.

"It was a mistake, an honest accident of what happened. No one is to blame." Esme whispered to the group, finally answering in some form what happened. Rosalie looked away while Emmett clasped a heavy hand on Jasper's shoulder to try and comfort him. The Denali coven looked between me and the Empathetic vampire of our family, noting how he's refused to look me in the eyes during this entire explanation.

"What happened?" Eleazar pressed, and Jasper groaned before burying his head in his hands.

"Simply put, the human cut her finger while opening presents. And the problem was that several of us hadn't hunted in at least a week. Jasper, who still struggles with his urges, was the one to jump and nearly attacked Bella. But Edward here pushed her back, causing her to fall into some vases which only further opened up wounds. The damage was done by that point and we snapped out of our bloodlust, before we dispersed. She was patched up but Edward went into a state of despair and _woe is me_ in thinking that he was just nothing but danger for her. So he broke up with her, lying to her and leaving her in the woods. And in turn he made all of us leave that town. Good riddance too, I was growing tired of it." Rosalie surmised for the group in haste, her tone flippant and biting.

I let loose a feral snarl. The nerve of her and her attitude towards Bella.

"Fuck you Rosalie. Your jealousy of the girl that I loved is still present as ever. Just admit it that you hated her for the fact she was willing to give up her life as a human – a chance to be a mother – was what irked you more than the fact a human knew about our secret!" I screamed at her, my anger flaring once more. Emmett growled at me in warning while Rosalie snapped a scowl at me.

"As if I ever would have reason to be jealous of her! She was mortal, and she was fragile, there was no way she could really stay with us!"

"Bullshit! You're talking to a mind reader Rosalie and face it – you suck at actually hiding your true feelings!" I bit back at her remark, wanting nothing more than to walk over to her and slap her. Sister or not, Rosalie was always the bitch of this coven.

"Edward, Rosalie enough!" Esme yelled to try and end the fighting, glaring at the both of us. She was using her mother tone, daring the both of us to disobey her now. Rosalie and I continued to growl and glare at each other. Emmett was trying his best to calm his wife, holding her close to his side. Alice was restraining me with her tiny pixie arms in a lock of a hug. Her mind was telling me it's not worth it with her.

The Denali Coven watched our exchange in scared silence. They took in Rosalie's hasty finish of our tale as best as they could; they felt sympathy for Jasper, Bella, and I. But they were unsure of how to proceed.

"As far as you know, that human was alive when you left her. Who knows if Victoria showed up to kill her or something else came along to make her happy? She probably _is_ better off without you." Rosalie hissed with finality, before she stood and stalked out of the house, heading towards the kitchen back door. She was growling profanities left and right at me through her thoughts. She wasn't going to run far from the house – but she didn't want to be in the same room as me anymore. Emmett looked at me briefly, before he stood and followed after her.

Alice eventually let me go, telling me to ignore her and her words. She rejoined Jasper on the couch.

"Alice, you're a psychic yes?" Eleazar asked suddenly, looking over at her. She nodded.

"So is there no way for to check up on her?" I hissed at where he was going. Alice pursed her lips, sighing.

"Edward had asked me to no longer search for her. He wanted us to cut all ties and memories, and anything that could be tied to her. He wants her to try and live a normal life without us being involved. Besides, there are two issues to where I can't check up on her. For one, you know my power is only used if someone makes a decision – only then do I receive a vision of the possible outcome for that specific decision." Alice told him, tapping her temple. He nodded, but then prompted her to explain what the other issue was.

I heard it through her thoughts before she spoke; I was panic-stricken all the same.

"The other issue is even if I were to look for her, I can't. No matter how many times I try to force a vision about her, I draw just… darkness. It's as if there's something blocking my power to actually see Bella."

"What?!" I yelled at her, growling lowly from within my chest. Jasper glared at me minutely for getting angry with Alice.

"I had no way of telling you since you were unreachable Edward!"

"How long has it been like this?" I pressed. Alice bit her lip, and looked down at her lap.

"Ever since we left, it's been like this? An entire month?!" I shrieked my growling growing in its volume. Jasper tried his best to smother me with calm and serenity; it was a weak attempt.

"I'm sorry Edward. I had no way to call you and tell you this. And I was trying to respect your initial wish to leave it alone but I was worried about her. I miss her – I loved her like a sister and she meant something to this family as much as she was your lover! It's left me in a state of panic too. You know I hate being blind!" Alice retorted with an equally high pitched shriek of her own.

I released a howl of dismay at this piece of news, and slammed my fists into the glass window behind me; with it having already been cracked, it simply gave way to the weight of my crashing into it. I ignored Esme's harsh yell of admonishing, sinking instead to the floor in defeat. It was my own fault for leaving Alice in the dark like I had. I had forbid her into looking for her and any future visions of her. I wanted this, didn't I? I wanted to try and forget her as I had hopes she would forget about us and hopefully would be able to move on with her human life without supernatural creatures being involved. But now, I was regretting it.

"We'll get it replaced for you." I heard Carlisle offer to the Denali coven.

A moment of silence passed over the living room; no one wanted to say anything else to me. I could hear it in their thoughts that they had more questions about this situation but didn't know when would be the right time to begin asking. I just sat there on the glass-ridden floor, hearing their questions but not bothering to answer them out loud. Eventually one of them will get the courage to speak up on their own. I'd prefer to just up and leave now. I felt like this was a mistake for even coming here in the first place.

"Edward, don't even try to leave now." Alice immediately piped up as she possibly saw a vision of me deciding to do just that. I was too preoccupied going over the worst case scenarios of what could have happened, or be happening, right now to _her_. If something has already happened to her, I'd be too late in trying to run back to that small town now to try and stop whatever calamity that has or possibly has, fallen onto her.

"Just try and stop me." I muttered weakly to the carpet, not bothering to face them. As if any of them would be able to stop me as soon as I start running. I am the fastest one out of the whole bunch anyways.

"You won't even leave. I already can tell you won't." Alice retorted in almost a smug fashion.

"You don't know that until I make a final decision" I remarked back, growling to myself.

"Edward please don't leave again" Esme begged quietly and this time I sighed heavily. Fine, maybe Alice was right. I heard her snicker slightly under her breath. _Never bet against the pixie._

"Perhaps now is as good as anytime, to set about to that hunt we were discussing about!" Kate suddenly piped up to try and break the awkward tension that had settled over this living room. The interrogation of my old love life and the disaster that followed it was over considering I had destroyed their window and drove Rosalie (and subsequently Emmett) from the house. Judging from most of their thoughts, they were finishing with their prying and wanted to give me my space to calm down. As if that were ever going to happen, I just think it boils down to them not wanting to piss me off further and keep the rest of their house intact.

Tanya was still grumbling to herself over the whole thing, jealousy rampant. I did my best to block her thoughts. I could hear outside the house, a distance away, Emmett and Rosalie were still within earshot enough so that they heard Kate's proposition and were in agreement that a hunt was most likely needed for everyone.

The others of my family were agreeing to the idea. I stayed on the floor slumped over, not making any moves to join them. I'd prefer to be left alone, but Alice was having none of it again.

"Edward please join us, a hunt will do you some good." She pleaded, gliding over to where I sat on the floor, crouching beside me to wrap a tiny arm around my shoulders. I glanced up at her to see she held a sad smile at me, her eyes trying to show some excitement and encouragement to get me to join them. _It'd be a good chance to bond again as a family. You know how sad we've all been since you've been gone._ I rolled my eyes at her thoughts. I have no doubts Rosalie would contest that.

Alice knew from the eye roll just what I was mentally thinking straight away. And I'm supposed to be the only mind reader in the family. _Okay well, maybe not Rose but still. Honestly, you know she cares about you even if she's awfully annoying and intolerable sometimes. Rosalie doesn't like to have her judgment contested, and you're the only one who can really get under her skin. Trust me, I'm on your side and what she said to you was really uncalled for._

"You can say that again." I grumbled, and she snickered.

 _Please, do consider hunting with us. We all need to feed, and you especially need to. I'm worried you're going more insane the longer you keep yourself from it._ She continued mentally, squeezing my shoulders then. I sighed. In one form or another, Alice was right. As usual, the pixie is right.

"Fine, I'll come along. I'd just like to keep my distance if you all would respect it – and no I'm not going to run off." I cut her off when she was about to verbally dispute my wishes. But she closed her mouth and nodded her head to it. I looked behind me to see Esme and Carlisle smiling over at me, happy to hear that I would go hunting with them.

Alice stood back and let me stand on my feet. We began making our way to the kitchen's back door, when it was so quick I felt that if I had blood still running through my veins, it would turn ice cold. Alice stopped and let out a harsh gasp of audible pain. I whipped around to see her still standing by the glass covered spot that I had been in. Her eyes were turning glassy.

She was having a vision.

"Alice?" Jasper voiced his concerns out loud, thoughts growing more and more concerned. I was pulled into her vision.

 _The vision focused on a black fancy car. It was driving rapidly through a heavily wooded forest that held snow on the ground. Whoever was in the car was in Alaskan, or some snowy area like it._

 _It transitioned to those who were in the car, and if I had a beating heart still it would be sinking to my stomach at this moment._

 _Inside the car were guard members of the coven that acted as the police, or highest authority of ruling, over the world that was vampires. They ruled with an hard iron fist, keeping to the most sacred rule that other vampires are to abide by – keep our secret as such, a secret, to the human. Anyone who breaks this law, is to be met with a swift death._

 _It was the Volturi._

 _Only 4 members were in the car, but it was the 4 strongest. They were the most feared. Unmatched mostly by their talents, it was this very reason the leaders of the Volturi made them as some sort of captains over the rest of the guard that was to protect the elders._

 _Jane and her twin, Alec, sat in the back of the car staring out the windows. Jane was as unsettling as ever. She may look like a young girl, but it wasn't something someone should take for granted. Her power, much like her brother's, was a mental weapon of pure torture – something I've only ever heard or read others thoughts, about. I never faced her or her brother's powers, but the tales chalk it up to be something no one should ever go up against foolishly. Her light brown hair was pulled back beneath the hood of her cloak. Her ruby red eyes stared out to look at the passing trees absentmindedly. She wasn't really looking at the trees but rather she was thinking._

 _The other two that sat in the car, was Demetri and Felix. Demetri sat with his hands folded together. His eyes were focused on the floor of the car as if he was focusing on something else, concentrating. I heard he was the best tracker amongst all vampires – the only other vampire I could think of as a comparison was James but even he was not on Demetri's level of skill. There was a reason Demetri was part of the Volturi guard, and James wasn't._

 _Felix looked as intimidating as ever as well. The only skill this hulking beast of a vampire had was unrivaled strength. Emmett of our coven was a bear, but again even my own adoptive brother couldn't compare to this guard member. Felix sat there, flexing and cracking his fingers unnecessarily._

 _Finally, Felix spoke up to break the silence. "I don't know why we had to take this car when we could've ran faster than this." He whined almost childishly._

 _Alec snickered at him but Jane regarded him coolly. Demetri didn't even acknowledge his outburst._

" _Master wanted us to take this car to keep up pretenses. You know not to go against him." Jane cooed at him in a chiding manner. Felix balked; even this monster of a vampire feared the little girl._

" _Of course not, but you know I'm just pointing out the obvious. Even more so if we had run to our destination, we probably would've reached the family quicker than they could've thought to run off and evade their summoning." Felix explained further, rubbing his neck to show awkward embarrassment for his outburst._

" _They would be ignorant to attempt running" Alec reminded him, glancing over at Demetri._

 _Demetri was tracking._

 _Felix nodded then, giving in._

" _It is merely all formalities. We are to personally escort them to our domain for their judgment, Felix. No harm must come to them as they are to be received to the elders intact. Their punishment, whatever they decide, will be dealt then." Alec continued, going back to looking out the window._

 _Demetri looked up then._

" _And we are not far off from our destination." He spoke up, and Felix smirked then, happy with that answer._

 _The vision began to fade out then, where I could only see Jane's growing smile begin to form on her face…_

I was pulled back to the living room. Alice and I were staring gravely at one another. The Denali coven, Esme and Carlisle stared at us in silent worry. Jasper was in full blown panic based off of our emotions. He knew that the vision was dire.

"How soon…" I uttered in a weak breath. My heart sunk when she gulped and stared down at the floor.

"They will be here in ten minutes." She whispered weakly, holding her head in her hands. Jasper rushed to her side, begging and pleading her to calm down.

"Who is coming?" Carlisle asked then, breaking the silence. He, in his thoughts, had an inkling – a gut-wrenching feeling – could only guess as to who would be arriving shortly. Esme stood close to his side in fear, concerned that her family was in danger. The Denali Coven stood defensively and guarded, waiting with unnecessary baited breath for an answer. They too knew that whoever was coming had no good intentions for their visit. Even Emmett and Rosalie, who were still waiting outside, now were waiting as well wondering why things inside the house had become so desolate and wrought with despair.

I gulped, staring down at the ground. I refused to look them in the eyes when I gave them the answer.

"The Volturi." I breathed.

Most of them gasped at this answer – mainly it was Esme, Carmen, Tanya and Kate. I heard Emmett and Rosalie growl from their spot but they soon whooshed back into the house, expressions hard. Eleazar growled lowly, pulling Carmen closer to him. Given his history with the Volturi, I could understand his nervous but otherwise protective disposition. Jasper mirrored him with his wife, ever the protective soldier. Carlisle digested the severity of it, looking grim.

"Why are they coming here?" Kate had then said in the next second, utterly hysteric.

"We need to run." Rosalie hissed, not wanting to face the vampire authority that was coming here to judge our family.

"There is no way of running. It'd be foolish to run." I growled at her; I also beat Carlisle to the punch in saying it. His thoughts were my words, so instead he nodded in agreement to my statement.

"Then we fight?" Emmett questioned, looking ready to throw down. Alice shook her head.

"Don't. Please no one, do not fight this. These guard members that are coming are much too strong. You wouldn't stand a chance against them Emmett" she did her best to dissuade his natural instincts to fight. Emmett wanted to argue, but she looked at him with such fierce fear and panic that it was enough to silence him. He nodded to please her.

"Why are they coming here? What has happened that they felt the need to make a personal visit?" Carmen cried out in worry, staring at each of us in confusion.

"Me." I surmised and they all looked at me shocked.

"How? There's no way they could've possibly found out that you shared our secret!" Rosalie snarled, staring at me with fury but confusion.

"They had to found out somehow. It's not like I told anyone else about our nature." I snapped back, matching her fiery glares with one of my own.

"Maybe through –" I hissed at Jasper's thoughts.

" _No!_ There's no way they could've found out about her. There is no way they managed to find her to get her to spill the truth of her knowing who we are. She wouldn't do that to us." I snarled at him defiantly; I ignored Rosalie's huff as she mentally begged to differ.

Eventually we settled into a tense silence, unsure of how to proceed. There was no way for us to run from this; running from the Volturi was suicide. Demetri can easily track us, Jane and Alec with their mental powers (from the tales that I have heard of what they are like) would be sure to stop us in our tracks. If not them, then Felix would be there with his brute strength to be sure that we cannot escape them. We were trapped, and had to face this head on. No way around it, we had to take them on as civil as possible to avoid a fight and potentially, a death. I looked to Carlisle, hearing that he was thinking along the same lines as I was. He nodded to me.

"We should go outside to meet them." He muttered gravely to us, squaring his shoulders and hugging Esme closer to him.

"You're mad Carlisle!" Tanya finally spoke up in a hiss, staring at him as if he had lost his head.

"We have no choice but to face them, Tanya." Eleazar growled at her. He too knew there was no other solution but to face them directly.

Everyone looked at one another. We were uneasy, but knew this was the only choice we had. Our judgment was coming whether we liked it or not.

Soon, we mustered enough courage to walk out of the Alaskan home and out into the snowy forest of the property. We had to wait for them to arrive.

Ten minutes flew by and soon the black car pulled up the driveway. I could hear their thoughts. They mostly all centered on the fact that they wanted to deal their own kind of punishment, but would hold themselves back as they were to follow their leader's orders to go about this peacefully and cordially. We all stood there in front of the home waiting tensely for the car to stop. When it did, the four guard members filed out of the car and stood a distance away from us. I could feel Jasper tense beside Alice. In his thoughts he was highly uncomfortable with their emotions; it was mixed and swirling around them violently. There was anticipation, thrill, bloodlust, anger. It was sending him into overdrive with how it was affecting him.

Eleazar tensed as well upon seeing them. It had been many long years since he's been in contact with the Volturi. Being an ex guard member, I could tell old memories were coming to his mind again – many of which he had tried his best to shove down the deep recesses of his mind. All that he wanted to keep locked up and never face again. It was dark and troubling times for him when he was with the Volturi that much I could tell from the snippets in his mind. Carmen could sense his discomfort, and did her best to calm him down as well. She didn't like seeing her mate so easily disrupted by his dark past that was standing before him.

We stood there in silence for a brief period before Carlisle cleared his throat even though he really didn't need to.

"Greetings to you all." He spoke to them in a formal manner, trying his best to keep himself composed.

They all looked to him, and nodded.

"You are the famed Carlisle Cullen, are you not?" Demetri, the lanky tracker of the guard, spoke out loud seeking confirmation. My father figure to the coven slowly nodded his head.

"Aro's spoken so highly of you, Carlisle." Jane cooed out next, the terrifying little girl smiling creepily up at him while eyeing the whole family, and the Denali Coven that stood with us. She paused on Eleazar, her smiling curling ever so slightly into a sneer. She recognized him of course. Her thoughts were all but harsh to criticize him and his changing of ways to leave the Volturi for the Vegan diet we were accustomed to.

"I am but a modest man. Aro is too kind of course." Carlisle spoke humbly then. Alec sniffed at this answer, glancing between each of us as well.

"I guess it'd be of best interest to tell them why we are here, though I am sure they can already guess." Felix spoke up then, letting out a deep rumble of a chuckle. Emmett was sizing him up in his thoughts, still defiant and thinking he could easily take him on. Alice and I glared at him, hissing at him to stop.

"Please do tell." Carlisle continued, speaking solely for the group now.

"We can only give you the briefest of details. Full disclosure is only granted should you choose to cooperate." Alec barked, glaring over in Emmett's direction. I feared he could sense that my adoptive bear of a brother was itching to test their strength. That or as the one half of the terrifying pair that is the twins of the guard, expected at least one vampire to be foolish enough to defy their orders.

Carlisle nodded his head, agreeing to their terms.

"We are under the orders of Master Aro to bring you and your coven back to Volterra to face judgment to the Volturi. We have received news and information that has led us to believe you have disgraced the vampire world by breaking one of our most sacred rules – that one of you has exposed our nature to a human." Demetri stated out loud then, bringing forth the word of our crime.

Specifically, it was my crime. I could feel myself growing stiffer.

Jane sneered more evidently this time. Carlisle didn't know how to reply to this.

"I feel that we have done our best to keep ourselves a secret to mortals." Rosalie defied this ruling – stupidly.

We all hissed at her to keep quiet; the damn bitch didn't know when to stop with her arrogant attitude. The Guard all quirked a brow at her, daring her to prove she meant what she said.

"Please do ignore her. My daughter likes to… speak when she shouldn't." Esme pleaded, ignoring Rosalie's huff. The Guard all snickered in response.

"As much as you would like to believe that, it is not something you can so easily deny when we have proof straight from the very source." Alec tested her. Then, it happened. I was pulled into their minds again; they were recalling memories of an encounter with a particular _human girl with doe brown eyes_. I only caught brief glances of her in their minds. Snippets of _her_ – be it the back of her head where I could see her full face or just a glimpse of those pouty lips biting one another in worry – it was enough to cause me to snap.

I let loose a feral snarl, wanting to lunge and attack. They had seen _her,_ been near _her._ If they had done something to her, harmed her or touched her in any way –

Those thoughts were drowned by the crushing weight of forced calm and serenity that was being blanketed on top of me. It was so sudden I had no way of negating these feelings and let it overtake my rage to where I collapsed to the snowy ground below me, forcing me to kneel into submission. _Jasper._

Alice crouched beside me protectively, using her thoughts to get me to accept the calm and to not go about this irrationally. The Guard watched our exchange, realization of my reaction coming to them.

"So, you must be the infamous Edward." Demetri spoke up, lips curling bemusedly when I snapped a glare at him.

"If you so much as hurt _her…_ " I weakly hissed out in anger, but it was thickly coated with the calm Jasper was forcing onto me that it was a weak mumble at best.

Felix chuckled. "No harm came to that mere mortal. Aro took it upon himself to ensure that she wouldn't get hurt – she's in fact going to be there with you all when we deal out your rightful punishment." He informed us in almost a sickly gleeful manner. Some of us, at least those of us who cared about her, balked at his admission.

"Just take me. It was only me that told her. My family had nothing to do with it..." I argued weakly in my thick state. I was acting out in protection for them. I knew what I was to face - a certain, painful but accepted death for my crimes. I knew I should've ran away and stayed away when I had the chance. I should've never lingered around _her_ as look where it got us? I was sure to die and so was she. They won't keep her alive. The least I could do was try and save my family from this mess. The Guard continued to snicker at me.

"Aro has rightfully said that the whole coven is to face this punishment, little Edward. The mortal was exposed to your family, and we're led to believe that your whole coven let up on the guise to act human and acted themselves around her. There is no way everyone is getting out of this. Do not fret though, you'll be facing fully for the crime of course as being the main exposer." Demetri spoke up then, sniffing in disdain. Jane giggled childishly, before looking to Carlisle with a disapproving look. I still did my best to ignore Rosalie's nasty thoughts; she was further cursing me and _her_ to hell and back for what we had done.

"It is so sad to see that you, the highly spoken-of Carlisle Cullen that Master Aro fondly remembers, would let something like this occur." Jane absently said in a childlike coo once more, smiling in a sinister way towards us, her ruby red eyes lingering on me.

Carlisle looked down at the snow, again unsure of what to say.

"Perhaps we should bring this other coven along. No doubt they also know of this awful crime this coven has made." Alec spoke up then, glancing at the Denali coven. His eyes also lingered, this time on Eleazar.

"Please do spare them as they really have nothing to do with our crime." That was all it took to get Carlisle to speak up finally, trying his best to not involve anyone else with this mess. The Denali family had been quiet this whole time, tense and observing but doing their best to not draw the ire of the Guard.

"We may spare them. It is possibly already traumatizing as is to see us again… How is _dear_ Sasha doing?" Jane spoke up again, her voice taunting. I looked over to see a resounding jump at the name being mentioned, and then grave, sorrowful looks passed over them. I was confused upon seeing this. Carlisle tensed even more at this trickery being brought down upon the family; he after all knew more than us Cullens knew of what happened to the original Denali leader. I only knew of her name but not of her crime – whatever it was but yet Jane knew. She must've been there to deal out the punishment.

"Please do not speak of her…" Tanya muttered weakly, jumping from Jane's cold and sudden, harsh laughter.

"Alright, I think we've taunted them enough." Demetri cut in then; he let Jane have her fun. But he was ready to have this meeting be over and done with. He was ready to escort us back to their home turf. Jane frowned at him for cutting her fun short but otherwise settled down, getting back down to business.

"We will let the other coven stay behind. But you, the Olympic Coven – the Cullens," Demetri began again, staring at each of us intently. "Are to follow us back to Volterra, Italy. We are to personally escort you per Master Aro's wishes. Of course, running would be a very foolish thought, else we'll be able to easily track you down and deal our own means of punishment in failing to abide by this order. You are to face for your crime, specifically you Edward Cullen, for exposing our true nature to a human. Do you all agree to these terms?" he finished his statement, raising his chin as if to ask us silently to defy this order they forced upon us.

I glanced between each family member of mine. They all remained stoic, even though their thoughts gave away their fears. Rosalie of course was cursing me for eternity still for the mess I had brought them in. Emmett was more concerned for our well-being – ever the protective one over us. Jasper was doing his best to keep everyone's emotions calm, even his own as much as he wanted to fight or flee from this place. But he had to be here for us. Internally he was thinking that it was the least he could do after what he had done to cause this rift between his and mine's relationship as brothers. Alice was doing all she could to keep the rapid decisions each of us were wanting to act on, under control else she would lose her own sanity. Esme and Carlisle both held thoughts of protectiveness and concern, mainly for me. They were terrified at the possible but ultimately inevitable decision that was to be made for me.

I was ready to face it. I welcomed the punishment I deserved.

"We accept them." I spoke up for my family. Alec snickered, finding it darkly amusing that the perpetrator of this crime was accepting his ultimate death that no doubt would come. Sinister glee if you will, filled him.

"We will keep our distance to a degree – to ensure none of you run off but to give you the comfort knowing we won't surely kill you at a moment's notice." Felix remarked in a dark joking tone. I could hear the deep rumble coming from Emmett, but Esme hissed at him to be quiet once more. Then, the Guard got back into their car they had arrived in. Their driver, whoever sat during this ordeal, turned around and drove off back into the trees.

Once they were gone, the Denali clan hissed out in worry.

"We could've gone with you. We wish nothing to happen to you and will be wrought with worry!" Kate growled to Carlisle, unhappy with how he decided for them to not come to Volterra.

"Please, you and Tanya suffered enough from the Volturi after… well what happened to her." Carlisle spoke to them quietly, grimacing at the second jump they gave. "Besides, if Irina were to return without knowing or having any way of contacting you, I am sure there will be more problems for you. Lest you forget you have a transitioning vampire to deal with that is Laurent… It is best to have more hands on deck in case his bloodlust is to careen out of control." He added. They all paused, looking at one another with pursed lips. They wanted to still argue their case to come with us, but knew he had the right mindset. They wouldn't want him to lose his control and only bring the Volturi down upon them again for another crime if he were to get out of hand.

"You have the right of it then." Tanya admitted out loud. She looked to me longingly; her desires for me were rearing their ugly head. I did my best to block her from my thoughts. "Do your best to keep yourselves safe from whatever's about to happen. I… I hope things turn out easy for you." She murmured; she knew most likely I am to be killed for my crime of telling _her_ of our world. That was the usual punishment after all. The Volturi held no mercy for any crimes.

Carlisle nodded his head, but he knew he couldn't guarantee it.

Alice helped me to my feet after Jasper finally relented on his blanket of forced serenity. I still proceeded to ignore Rosalie's death wishes that she was hurling at me mentally, and looked to Carlisle.

"To Volterra then?" Emmett spoke up before I could with a sigh. We all looked at one another, grim but knowing it was time to face the music. Delaying the inevitable of leaving was only prolonging what we surely had to face.

Carlisle nodded his head. "To Volterra."

With a quick goodbye to the Denali coven, we took off into the forest in the same direction as the car. We were off to face our greatest fear.

* * *

 **A/N: And I shall call it there.**

 **It took so long to really get through this chapter. Mostly was suffering from writer's block. It was in part blame that I wasn't too sure on how to prolong Edward's thoughts and feelings throughout this whole chapter. I also didn't want to drag out thought processes too much and didn't know truthfully how to proceed about bringing the Guard members into the chapter for the encounter.**

 **Hopefully I did justice when it came to writing this in Edward's perspective. And hopefully it wasn't too boring of a chapter. Maybe it was mostly filler before we get back to Bella heading off to Italy.**

 **I still have some inspiration of how to continue with this story. Possibly still going to be long periods in between chapter updates but I'm doing my best. Just whenever the motivation clicks with inspiration, I suppose.**

 **Feedback is always appreciated. Till the next chapter,**

 **~Lady Eleanora**

 **(Apologies for any grammar and spelling mistakes, I do what I can when it comes to editing as I go.)**


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